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HX64063470 


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R A776  .  J28  1 891    Selections  from  essa 


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SThe  Sanitary  Woolen  System. 


sMN^'G.  JAEGER.    M.D 


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''The  f irsl.Wealth  is  Health" 

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HEALin 
SCIIT'CES 


SELECTIONS  FROM  ESSAYS  ON 


MEALTH -CULTURE 

And  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System, 


BY 


GUSTAV   JAEGER,    M.D.,   Stuttgart, 

PROFESSOR   OF   ZOOLOGY   AND    PHYSIOLOGY. 


{TRANSLATED  FROM   THE    GERMAN.) 


TRADE       ^^^V^^^Pilr>'^^!^^      MARK. 


PUBLISHED  BY 

DR.    JAEGER'S    SANITARY    WOOLEN 
SYSTEM    CO., 

Nos.  827  AND  829  BROADWAY, 

NEW  YORK. 

1891. 


Second  Edition^  revised  and  enlarged 


*♦  The  first  Wealth  is  Health." 

—Emerson. 

I 


776 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1891,  by 

1)K.    JAEGER'S     SANITARY    WOOLEN    SYSTE3I    CO. 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress, 

at  Washington,  D  C 


I'ress  of  F.  8.  &  C.  13.  Hartram,  V-i6  William  Street,  New  York. 


PEE  FACE. 


BY    THE    AMERICAN    EDITOR. 

THE  proprietors  of  Dr.  Gustav  Jaeger's  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  have  met  with  so  unexampled 
success  in  introducing  it  into  England  and  on  the 
Continent,  during  the  four  years  in  which  it  has  been 
on  trial  there,  that  they  feel  confident  of  having  an 
improved  system  of  Sanatory  Clothing  to  offer  to 
the  American  people  which  will  not  only  meet  the 
necessities  incident  to  the  conditions  of  the  iSTorth 
American  climate,  but  will  also  supply  a  want  long 
felt  and  intelligently  realized  by  a  large  portion  of 
this  great  community. 

A  people  fertile  in  the  invention  of  devices,  and  in 
the  contrivance  of  means  for  meeting  the  exigencies 
of  a  varied  climate,  and  the  demands  of  an  advanced 
stage  of  civilization,  will  not  be  slow  to  appreciate 
the  merits,  and  avail  themselves  of  the  benefits  of 
the  inventions  and  discoveries  of  their  transatlantic 
neighbors.  This  Sanitary  System  of  Clothing  appeals 
at  once  to  the  American  practical  common  sense,  and 
will  undoubtedly  find  a  hearty  welcome  and  a  speedy 
adoption. 

It  is  in  this  conviction  that  arrangements  have 
been  made  for  opening  a  spacious  wholesale  and  re- 
tail mercantile  establishment  in  New  York;  and  it  is 


iv  Preface. 

with  a  view  to  enlightening  the  public  as  to  the 
scientific  claims  of  the  New  System,  that  the  sub- 
stance of  Dr.  Jaeger's  European  publications  have 
been  compiled,  with  but  the  fewest  and  slightest 
modifications,  in  his  own  popular  language,  and  of- 
fered to  American  readers  in  this  compact,  but  com- 
prehensive and  intelligible  form. 

Dr.  Jaeger's  own  preface  is  presented  with  this. 
The  cordial  indorsement  of  Dr.  Jaeger's  Sanitarj^ 
System,  by  some  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of 
England  and  the  Continent,  will  surely  commend  it 
to  a  fair  hearing  and  the  candid  consideration  of  the 
Public. 

New  York,  1886. 


PREFACE. 


rr^HE  scientific  and  technical  discussion  of  my  re- 
Jl  searches  in  the  direction  of  Health-culture,  will 
be  found  in  works  previously  published  by  me  on 
allied  topics,  such  as  Die  menscTiliche  Arheitskraft 
(Munich  :  R.  Oldenburg,  1878),  Seuchfjifestigheit  unci 
Konstitutionskraft  (Leipzig  :  Ernst  Giinther,  1878), 
and  Die  Mitdeckung  der  Seele  (Leipzig  :  Ernst  Giin- 
ther, 1880).  In  writing  the  essays  contained  in 
this  volume,  I  have  aimed  at  the  practical  applica- 
tion and  diffusion  of  my  views,  and  have  consequently 
striven  to  adopt  the  plainest  mode  of  popular  exposi- 
tion. Next  to  the  soundness  of  my  sanitary  doc- 
trines— which,  indeed,  will  speak  for  themselves  at 
once  upon  trial — I  am  chiefly  indebted  to  the  pop- 
ular form  of  my  compositions  for  the  extraordinary 
rapidity,  assuredly  unsurpassed  in  its  way,  with 
which  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  has  borne  down 
every  obstruction. 

I  am  anxious  here  to  caution  my  readers,  before- 
hand, against  erroneous  impressions  with  respect  to 
the  Sanitary  Woolen  System.  Dress  has  hitherto 
been  generally  regarded  as  a  means  of  protection  to 
the  body  merely.  This  restricted  view  is  correct 
when  clothing  is  manufactured  partly  from  vegetable 
and  partly  from  animal  fibres  ;  but  it  falls  far  short 
of  the  whole  truth,  when  applied  to  the  Sanatory 
Woolen  Clothing.  The  latter  supplies  a  decidedly 
nearer   perfect   and   more  effectual  protection   than 


vi  Preface. 

is  afforded  b}^  ordinary  ''  mixed  "  clothing  ;  it  has, 
moreover,  the  most  important  effect  of  rendering  the 
body  hardy.  This  operation  is  gradual  but  certain. 
The  wearer  is  not  at  once  made  proof  against  influ- 
ences of  weather,  infection,  etc. ;  various  disturbances 
of  health  may  occur,  but  their  short  duration  will  be 
j)roof  that  the  right  course  has  been  taken  to  secure 
"  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body." 

Perceiving  the  difficulty  of  inducing  any  consider- 
able portion  of  the  public  to  adopt  a  reformed  System 
of  clothing,  unless  practically  aided  by  a  supply  of 
garments  made  in  accordance  with  my  System,  I  have 
made  arrangements  for  the  manufacture  of  such  gar- 
ments, under  my  supervision  and  control. 

With  the  experience  obtained  of  the  vitiation  of 
woolen  fabrics  by  the  admixture  of  cotton,  and  in 
view  of  the  luireacUness  with  which  manufacturers 
and  tradesmen  at  first  took  up  the  matter,  I  feel  sat- 
isfied that  by  adopting  this  practical  course  I  greatly 
assisted  the  extension  of  the  reform.  In  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  woolen  fabrics  adulterated  by  the 
addition  of  vegetable  fibre,  bear  to  the  genuine  article 
a  relation  analogous  to  that  which  wine,  tainted  with 
fusel-oil,  bears  to  pure  wine,  because  the  cotton 
threads  fix  and  retain  the  "  noxious  "  emanations  cor- 
responding to  the  vapors  of  fusel-oil.  If,  therefore, 
for  the  sake  of  a  possible  saving  in  price  or  on  the 
score  of  convenience,  people  are  induced  to  deal  in 
doubtful  quarters,  and  to  forego  tlie  advantage  of 
thorough  investigation,  I  beg  that  any  untoward 
experience  may  not  be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the 
System. 

G.  JAEGER. 
Stttttoart. 


COJTTENTS. 


Summary  of  Dr  Gustav  Jaeger's  Clothing  Reform 

AND  Sanitary  Woolen  System     . 
Effects    of    Excess    of    Fat    and    Water    in    the 

Tissues 

The  Causes  of  Disease,   and  Disease  Germs 

The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body 

The  Sourcs  of  the  Emotions      .... 

The  Nature  of  Disease       .        .        .        ... 

The  Crisis  of  Disease  ,        .        .        .        . 

The  Deodorization  of  the  Body 

Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing        .        .        ... 

Undervests 

The  Sanatory  Coat      .        .        .        .        . 
The  German  Gymnastic  Suit       .... 
The  Atmosphere  of  Schoolrooms 
Summer  and    Winter    Clothing 

Inhalation  of  Dust 

Catarrh  

The   Shirt,   the   Trousers,   and  the   Hat 
Normal  Duration  of  Human  Life 

Diphtheria 

Cleanliness    of    the    Sanitary    Woolen    Clothing 

System     

The  Collar    

Silk 

Is  Woolen  Clothing  Weakening  t      .        .        . 


PAGE 


Vlll 


i'onti  iitK. 


The   Curative  Power    of    Wool 

The  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  I^efmum 

Variations    of    Temperature,    and    SrNfsTHOKE 

The  Woolen   Glove,  and   Stings 

Patents  

The  Open  Bedroom  Window 

Woolen  Clothing  Fihe-Proof 

The  Sanatory  Woolen  Handkerchief,  and  Ca- 
tarrhal Infection  ... 

The  Adllteration  of  Wool  with  Cotton 

The  Air  in    Rooms        .... 

Cold  Baths     

The  Sock   or  Stocking 

The  Sanatory  Woolen   Bed 

The  Platinum  Lamp   Deodorizer 

Writer's  Cramp 

The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes— 1. 

The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes — II 

The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes— III 

Girded  Loins 

The  Corset 

'I' HE  Sanatory  Boot       .... 

Thk  Cleansing  of  the  Outer  Cloihing  .\nd  Bed- 
ding ...... 

The  Treatment  of  Infants 

Vegetarianism 

The  Positive  and  Negative  Effects  of  the  Sani- 
tary Woolen   System     .... 

Vegetable  Fibre,   When  and  Why    Unhanatoi 

About  Shrink  age 

Washing 

"The  Fraud  Detected"      .... 


SUMMARY 

OF 

*  DR.    GUSTAV    JAEGER'S 

Clothing    Rekorm 

AND 

SANITARY  WOOLEN  SYSTEM. 


THE,  INDISPUTABLY,  PERNICIOUS  EF- 
FECTS, upon  health,  due  to  the  material  and 
form  of  the  ordinary  clothing  of  the  present  day, 
were  hardly  suspected  until  Dr.  Gustay  Jaegee,  of 
Stuttgart,  began  to  publish  the  results  of  his  investi- 
gation on  the  subject. 

This  distinguished  German  physician  has  estab- 
lished the  fact,  that  most  bodily  derangements  may 
be  prevented  or  cured,  or  greatly  alleviated,  by  the 
adoption  of  proper  clothing  ;  and  he  has  constructed 
a  system  based  on  the  principle  of  pare,  animal 
fibre,  for  clothing  and  bedding.  This  is  known  as 
"  De.  Jaegee's  Sanitaey  Woolen  System."  It  af- 
fords to  the  body  the  greatest  protection  against 
Cold,  Heat  and  Dampness,  with  the  least  obstruction 
to  the  body's  exhalations.     These  conditions  are  in- 


•J.  !Sujnmary. 

^tinctively  felt  to  be  better  fulfilled  by  woolen,  than 
by  linen  or  cotton  fabrics.  Hence  the  very  general 
use  of  flannel  garments  by  athletes  and  by  members 
of  cricket,  boating,  and  other  sporting  clubs,  who  are 
called  upon  to  engage  in  vigorous,  physical  exercise 
likely  to  cause  profuse  perspiration,  which  is  simply 
an  intensification  of  the  action  of  the  skin,  incessantly 
going  on,  with  more  or  less  activity,  and  ceasing  oi^ 
with  life  itself.  Dr.  Jaeger  reasons  as  follows  :  If 
this  action  of  the  skin  be  imperfect,  impeded,  or  re- 
pressed by  any  cause,  fat  and  water  accumulate  in 
the  tissues,  the  functional  powers  of  which  are 
lowered  and  weakened  ;  and  the  flesh,  which  should 
feel  elastic,  firm  and  hard,  becomes  soft  and  flabbj'', 
resulting  in  a  general  derangement  of  the  physical 
organization  ;  and  the  evil  effect  on  the  body  is  ex- 
perienced in  the  form  of  many  disorders  which  are 
erroneously  considered  to  be  more  or  less  inevitable 
and  ineradicable, — such  as  corpulence,  asthma,  pul- 
monary complaints,  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs, 
gout,  rheumatism,  etc. 

All  fabrics  manufactured  of,  or  adulterated  with, 
vegetable  fibre,  (Imen  or  cotton,)  or  silk,  are  imper- 
vious to  the  body's  exhalations,  which  are  arrested 
and  turned  to  water  on  the  skin,  if,  at  any  point 
underclothing  or  lining  of  such  fibre,  intervene,  be- 
tween the  body  and  the  outer  atmosphere  Linen 
and  cotton  are,  moreover,  good  conductors  of  heat, 
and  thus,  especially  when  damp,  readily  cause  a  chill. 
Further,  dead  vegetable  fibre  has  the  same  property 
that  the  living  plant  has,  of  absorbing  noxious  gases; 
but  it  cannot,  like  the  plant,  digest  or  assimilatt- 
them. 


tSutmnary.  3 

In  view,  therefore,  of  the  importance  of  maintain- 
ing a  healthy  and  normal  action  of  the  skin,  not  onlj 
for  persons  of  active  habits  and  pursuits,  but  espe- 
cially for  those  engaged  in  sedentary  occupations, 
Dr.  Jaeger  selects  Animal  wool  as  the  proper  sub- 
stance for  his  "  Sanatory  Clothing,"  and  rejects  all 
linen,  cotton  and  silk  for  underwear  aiid  for  bedding^ 
as  obstructive  of  the  natural  processes  of  absorption 
and  evaporation.  The  advantages  of  this  material 
seem  obvious,  as,  when  woven  into  tissues,  wool  pos- 
sesses above  all  textile  fabrics — 

1.  A  2)eculiar  power  of  absorption  and  transmis- 
sion^ 

2.  The  properties  of  a  non-conductor  of  heat — so 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  an  equable  temperature 
of  the  body; 

3.  The  property  ofpjromoting  the  elimination,  from 
the  tissues,  of  all  excess  of  fat  and  %oater,  thus  making 
the  flesh  firm,  and  hardening  and  toughening  the 
muscles. 

As  hitherto  woven,  woolen  fabrics  are  objection- 
able to  many,  because  they  irritate  the  skin  and 
cause  a  feeling  of  intense  discomfort,  by  preventing 
the  proper  escape  of  the  exudations  of  the  skin  ;  and, 
as  a  rule,  they  are  so  heavy  as  to  be  intolerable  for 
summer  wear.  To  remove  these  objectionable  feat- 
ures, and  to  make  woolen  clothing  truly  sanatory, 
and  suitable  for  all  seasons — protecting  from  oppres- 
sive heat  in  summer  and  maintaining  a  proper  degree 
of  warmth  in  winter — Dr.  Jaeger  has  materially 
modified  the  usual  processes  of  weaving  woolen  fab- 
rics, and  adopted  a  method  which  produces  a  much 
less  closely -woven  texture  than  the  ordinary  flannel ; 


4  iSHinmary. 

and  all  underwear  for  ladies,  gentlemen  and  children, 
IS  made  of  "  Stockinet,"  undyed  or  natural  gray,  very 
porous,  agreeable  and  durable. 

From  these  conditions,  together  with  the  conform- 
ity in  construction  of  the  garments,  to  the  human 
anatomy,  arise  what  Dr.  Jaeger  specifically  claims 
as 

THE    SANITARY   ADVANTAGES    OF    PURE 
ANIMAL  WOOL. 

I.  Wool  "  gently  stimulates  the  skin ;"  L  e.,  to  that 
degree  necessary  to  excite  and  maintain  its  normal 
activity  in  secreting  and  extruding  the  waste  matter, 
and  surplus  fat  and  water  of  the  body. 

II.  Wool,  relatively  to  linen  and  cotton,  is  a  non- 
conductor of  heat  and  electricity,  and,  therefore, 
tends  to  preserve  to  the  animal  body  its  normal 
measure  of  these  vital  energies. 

III.  Wool,  woven  and  made  up  according  to  the 
Jaeger  methods,  by  reason  of  its  permeability  to 
moisture,  (the  vaporous  exhalations  of  the  skin,)  pro- 
motes the  elimination  of  the  effete  matters,  and  the 
reduction  of  the  abnormal  or  excessive  heat  of  the 
animal  body;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  the  body, 
even  when  freely  perspiring^  remains  dry  in  woolen 
clothing  J  while  in  linen  or  cotton,  it  becomes  wet — a 
fact  of  common  experience  with  all  who  engage  in 
athletic  exercises. 

IV.  Woo]  thus  co-operates  with  the  skin  to  regu- 
late, by  its  exhalations,  the  temperature  of  the  body, 
the  wool  supplementing  the  efforts  of  the  skin  to  dis- 
pose of  excess  of  heat,  whether  proceeding  from  in- 


bwnrnary.  5 

ternal  or  external  sources,  thus  maintaining  tliat 
equable  state  which  is  the  true  condition  of  health 
and  comfort.  Hence  it  is,  that  wool  is  better  than 
linen  or  cotton  as  a  preventive  of  the  overheating  of 
the  blood,  through  internal  heat;  and  that  woolen 
clothing  is  less  oppressively  hot  than  linen  or  cotton 
in  summer,  and,  therefore,  more  agreeable  and  health- 
ful in  the  hottest  climates. 

V.  Wool  is  electrical,  while  linen  and  cotton  are 
not;  i.  e.,  wool  generates  electricity,  but  does  not 
conduct  it.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  a  body  clothed 
in  wool  loses  less  of  its  animal  electricity,  while  fresh 
electricity  is  produced  on  the  surface.  Most  people 
are  familiar  with  the  facility  with  which  the  human 
body  conducts  electricity.  Cotton  ranks  next  to  it 
as  a  conductor,  while  wool  is  classed  with  non-con- 
conductors  and  insulators,  and,  for  that  reason,  is 
called  an  electric,  or  generator  of  electricity.  When 
the  air  is  clear  and  dry,  place  a  person  upon  a  stool 
or  chair,  the  legs  of  which  are  supported  from  the 
floor  by  glass  tumblers,  and  beat  him  gently  on  the 
back  with  a  woolen  or  camel-hair  shawl,  and  sparks 
may  be  drawn  from  his  nose,  or  fingers,  from  one- 
fourth  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long — or  large 
enough  to  light  the  gas  of  a  burner,  or  to  charge  a 
Ley  den  jar.  Probably  every  reader  has  seen  and 
heard  electric  sparks  on  withdrawing  a  woolen  stock- 
ing— never  from  taking  off  a  cotton  one.  There  is 
no  manifest  electricity,  in  the  latter  case,  because  the 
cotton  fibre  conducts  it  away — dissipates  it. 

The  Sanitary  Woolen  System  is,  therefore,  salutary 
for  those  whose  bodies  are  deficient  in  animal  heat  or 
electricity.     With   persons   leading   sedentary   lives, 


(3  Siminiary. 

the  action  of  the  skin  is  deficient,  and  it  requires  tho 
stimulating  aid  of  the  woolen  clothing,  which  ma- 
terially assists  in  eliminating  from  the  tissues  the 
excess  of  water  and  fatty  matter  always  tending  to 
accumulate  when  insufficient  exercise  is  taken. 

Chills  caused  by  draughts,  or  colds,  damp  clothes 
or  bedding,  are  very  dangerous,  because  the  sudden 
suppression  of  the  cutaneous  exudations,  interferes 
with  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  thus  disturbing  the 
action  of  the  lungs,  the  liver,  the  stomach,  etc.,  and  set- 
ting up  conditions  favorable  to  inflammation  and  fever. 

Their  modus  operarLdi  may  be  summarized  as  fol- 
lows: 

The  exhalations  which  are  "  mal-odorous "  and 
noxious  by  reason  of  defective  excretory  action,  are 
generated  in  the  body  during  and  after  the  digestion 
of  food,  during  all  vital  action  in  fact,  or  when  the 
body  is  invaded  by  disease,  or  the  mind  is  at  work, 
or  disturbed  by  worry,  gloom,  anger  or  fear,  or  in- 
deed by  any  violent  passion  or  strong  emotion.  For 
every  act  of  mind  or  body,  is  attended  with  destruc- 
tion of  tissue,  constituting  so  much  waste  matter, 
which  becomes  poisonous  and  potent  for  mischief,  if 
not  duly  eliminated  from  the  body.  This  elimina- 
tion it  is  the  function  of  the  skin,  in  an  eminent  de- 
gree, to  do.  The  sudorific  or  sweat  glands,  and  their 
ducts,  are  charged  with  this  important  oftice.  There 
are  about  7,000,000  of  these  little  scavengers  opening 
at  the  surface  of  the  skin  of  an  average-sized  man, 
throwing  off  from  the  surface  from  28  to  32  ounces 
of  refuse  matter  every  24  liours.  The  action  of  even 
a  small  portion  of  them,  cannot  be  suspended  without 
disturbance  and  danger. 


Sit7nmary.  7 

The  body  not  only  gives  off  its  exhalations  to  the 
surrounding  air,  but  also  communicates  them  to  all 
objects  with  which  it  and  its  atmosphere  come  in 
contact. 

Metallic  substances,  glass,  and  wood  of  which  the 
pores  are  closed  b}^  paint,  varnish,  etc.,  are  practi- 
cally impervious  to  the  exhalations,  while  the  two 
classes  of  material  next  mentioned  absorb  them,  but 
in  a  very  different  degree. 

I.  All  vegetable  fibres,  such  as  linen,  cotton,  hemp, 
jute,  paper,  unvarnished  and  unpainted  wood;  silk, 
and  unsanitarily  dyed  or  dressed  wool  and  leather, 
attract  and  absorb  these  "  noxious,"  "  self -poisoning  " 
exhalations,  and  become,  when  in  contact  with  human 
beings,  gradually  offensive  and  even  poisonous  in 
their  effect.  Clothing,  (including  linings  and  pad- 
ding,) and  bedding  made  from  such  fibres,  are  agree- 
able and  wholesome  only  when  quite  new  and  just 
washed,  but  soon  become  saturated  with  the  "nox- 
ious "  exhalations,  producing  discomfort,  and,  if  wet, 
when  the  vapors  are  set  free,  becoming  especially 
dangerous. 

II.  All  kinds  of  animal  wool  and  hair,  leather,  (un- 
dressed, or  sanitarily  dressed  and  dyed,)  feathers, 
horn,  readily  absorb  all  the  excretions  of  the  skin,  but 
they  do  not  retain  them,  but  transmit,  and  disperse 
them  at  their  outer  surfaces,  by  a  repulsive  energy  to 
which  the  self-cleansing  properties  of  hair  and  wool 
fabrics  are  properly  due.  The  value  of  this  feature 
of  the  woolen  system,  more  particularly  with  refer- 
ence to  its  surgical  uses,  -is  hardly  to  be  exaggerated. 

To  secure  its  full  benefits,  the  System  should  be 
adopted  in  its  entirety.     A  beginning  may  be  made 


b  ^uiiunari/. 

with  underclotliiiig,  wliicli  is  of  the  tirst  importance. 
The  outer  clothing  should  be  constructed  after  the 
Sanitary  styles.  The  upper  and  lower  coverings  of 
the  bed  should  be  woolen  or  camel-hair.  The  sleep- 
ing suit  should  be  a  stockine't  night-shirt,  long,  light, 
soft  and  elastic;  or  a  woolen  shirt  with  a  combination 
consisting  of  drawers  and  socks. 


EFFECTS  OF  EXCESS  OF  FAT  AND  WATER 
IN   THE   TISSUES. 

(1878.) 

THE  Englisli  word  "  condition  "  is  the  only  ade- 
quate term  wherewith  to  express  that  state  of 
mind  and  body  in  which  the  health  and  the  working 
power  leave  nothing  to  be  desired.  Let  us  first  see 
to  what  this  state,  or  "  condition,"  is  chiefly  due. 
Briefly  stated,  it  is  the  result  of  a  correct  proportion 
of  the  most  important  bodily  constituents,  and  of 
certain  physical  properties  and  processes  of  the  living 
tissues. 

As  regards  a  correct  proportion  of  the  bodily  con- 
stituents, we  may  restrict  our  examination  to  three 
of  these — albumen,  fat,  and  water.  The  first  is  the 
chief  constituent  of  muscle,  nerve,  blood,  etc.;  in 
fact,  the  principal  contributor  to  the  existence  of 
the  body.  Relatively  to  this  substance,  water  and 
fat,  although  indispensable,  may  be  viewed  as  auxil- 
iaries merely.  A  proper  condition  of  the  body  re- 
quires that  these  three  constituents  shall  be  present 
in  certain  proportions;  and  the  more  strictly  these 
proportions  are  mantained  in  it,  the  sounder  it  will  be 
and  the  fitter  for  work;  on  the  other  hand,  any  ex- 
cess of  water  or  of  fat  will  lessen  its  energies,  and  its 
power  of  resisting  influences  likely  to  generate  disease. 


10  Effects  of  Excess  of 

Touching  the  physical  properties,  we  have  first  to 
consider  the  degree  of  excitability  of  the  life-conduct- 
ors of  the  body;  chief  among  which  are  the  nerves 
and  the  muscles;  for  upon  this  quality  depend  energy, 
speed,  and  capacity  for  action  in  bodily  and  mental 
work,  as  well  as  in  those  processes  of  adjustment, 
which  protect  the  body  against  external,  disturbing 
influences.  The  second  point  relates  to  the  conditions  of 
elasticity  in  the  sinews,  ligaments,  vessels,  lung-tissues, 
etc.  Any  diminution  in  their  flexibility  and  firmness 
lessens  the  energy  and  the  resisting  power  of  the  bod}-. 

Imperfect  action  of  the  skin  will  induce,  with  vary- 
ing rapidity,  certain  changes  in  the  proportions  of  the 
constituents  and  in  the  physical  properties  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  body. 

These  changes  must  be  considered  separately. 

Foremost  I  place  the  increase  of  fat,  which  al- 
most invariably  supervenes  upon  sedentary  habits  of 
life,  when  there  is  no  lack  of  food.  The  injurious 
effects  of  an  accumulation  of  fat,  as  verified  by  care- 
ful experiments,  are  as  follows: 

Fat  people,  other  conditions  being  the  same,  pos- 
sess considerably  less  blood  than  the  lean;  and  it 
is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  obese  people  are  neces- 
sarily full-blooded.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  poor- 
blooded,  a  condition  which,  in  itself,  is  a  malady  made 
manifest  by  a  never-ending  series  of  minor  disorders 
of  the  general  economy;  and  there  is  a  variety  of 
diseases  to  which  fat  people  fall  a  prey,  and  succumb, 
much  sooner  than  the  lean— notably  all  those  whicli 
are  determined  by  the  quantity  of  blood  in  tlio 
system.  With  reference  to  vital  energy,  it  is  notori- 
ous that  persons  suffering  from  poorness  of  blood  are 


Fat  and  Water  in  the.  Tissues.  11 

incapable  of  doing  so  much  work  as  those  who  pos- 
sess a  full  measure  of  blood;  because  the  working 
power  of  an  organ  depends  upon  the  store  of  blood 
in  it.  Another  consequence  of  obesity  is,  the  en- 
croachment of  the  fat  upon  the  spaces  necessary  for 
the  circulation  of  the  blood  and  the  play  of  the  res- 
piratory organs.  The  first  of  these  evils  brings  about 
an  abnormal  distribution  of  the  blood  in  the  system, 
which  is  not  apparent  when  the  body  is  at  rest,  but 
which  shows  itself  as  soon  as  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  is  quickened;  when  the  rapid  flushing  of  the 
face  indicates  an  excessive  rush  of  blood  to  the  head, 
likely  to  cause  dizziness  or  apoplexy.  Another  irreg- 
ularity in  the  distribution  of  the  blood  occurs  when  its 
return  from  the  lower  parts  of  the  body  towards  the 
heart  is  hindered  by  the  reduction  of  the  space  in  the 
abdominal  canity.  This  causes  lassitude  and  a  sense  of 
heaviness  in  the  legs,  and  a  tendency  to  the  forma- 
tion of  varicose  veins;  while,  if  the  elimination  of 
water  from  the.system  be  impeded,  dropsical  swelling 
of  the  legs  will  ensue.  The  obstruction  of  the  return 
of  blood  from  the  abdominal  organs,  causes  the  ex- 
tremely troublesome,  and,  in  their  latter  stages  of 
development,  even  dangerous,  hemorrhoidal  com- 
plaints which  almost  invariably  afflict  the  obese.  An 
impeded  circulation  is  also  one  of  the  reasons  why  fat 
people  are  less  capable  of  work  than  the  lean.  If  an 
organ  be  required  to  do  work,  it  requires  80  per  cent 
more  blood  than  when  at  rest.  Every  exertion  there- 
fore necessitates  an  alteration  in  the  distribution  of 
the  blood,  to  which  fat  stands  as  a  hindrance,  block- 
ing the  way  so  that  the  blood  cannot  flow  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  the  part  that  requires  it. 


12  Effects  of  Excess  of 

The  accumulation  of  fat  in  the  thoracic  cavities' 
(chest,)  is  also  mischievous  from  its  interference  with 
the  free  play  of  the  lungs.  On  this  point  I  myself 
took  measurements,  which  went  to  show,  that,  among 
men  forty  years  of  age,  the  lung,  or  breathing  capac- 
ity, of  the  obese,  was,  with  a  full  inspiration,  18  cubic 
centimetres  of  air  only,  to  every  kilogramme  of  weight 
of  body;  while  the  lean  could  inhale  from  40  to  50 
cubic  centimetres,  or  about  three  times  as  much.  It 
follows  that  the  obese  are  disqualified  for  exceptional 
exertion  necessitating  greater  breathing  than  usual, 
and  a  more  copious  flow  of  blood  through  the  lungs, 
which  have  space  sufficient  for  neither  the  air  nor  the 
blood.  The  obstruction  caused  by  fat  is  shown  by 
the  rapidity  with  which  an  obese  person  becomes 
heated  by  exertion;  but,  even  in  rejiose,  this  interfer- 
ence with  the  free  play  of  the  respiratory  apparatus 
is  injurious,  and  renders  the  body  sluggish,  because  it 
checks  the  excretion  and  dispersion  of  the  substances 
(carbonic  acid,  water,  and  lactic  acid)  which  hinder 
the  proper  functional  processes  of  the  body. 

With  regard  to  the  greater  liability  to  attacks  of 
disease  in  cases  of  obesity,  I  may  particularly  refer  to 
the  danger  of  pulmonary  affections.  If  any  such 
malady  renders  one  portion  of  the  lungs  unservice- 
able, life  will  be  further  shortened  by  the  reduced 
working  capacity  of  the  remnant  which  may  be  still 
available  for  use.  Fat  people  are  also  far  more  sus- 
ceptible to  such  maladies  as  gout,  dropsy,  emphyse- 
matous lesions,  etc. 

The  effect  of  fatty  deposits  upon  tlie  physical  prop- 
erties of  the  living  tissues,  and  especially  upon  the 
measure  of   their  activity,  may  be  easily  \y3rified  by 


Fat  and  Water  in  the  Tissues.  13 

exj^eriments.  If  a  nerve  be  severed  in  a  living  ani- 
mal, so  that  the  brain  can  no  longer  transmit  its  en- 
ergy, and  the  brain  be  thus  reduced  to  a  condition  of 
rest,  globules  of  fatty  matter  will  gradually  be  de- 
posited in  it,  and  in  proportion  as  this  proceeds,  the 
activity  of  the  brain  will  decrease.  A  similar  change 
takes  place  in  the  muscles  when  their  nerves  have 
been  cut.  Their  power  to  contract,  and  the  energy 
of  the  contractions  diminish  in  the  same  proportion 
as  the  granules  of  fat  increase  in  number  and  size. 
Since,  therefore,  the  degree  of  excitability  in  nerve 
and  muscle,  measures  the  power  and  energy,  not  only 
of  bodily,  but  also  of  mental  work,  it  will  be  easily 
understood  why  cori^ulent  persons  become  inert  and 
limp  both  in  body  and  mind.  As  regards  the  mind, 
I  may  add  that  fatty  degeneration  of  the  brain  is  one 
of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  imbecility  and  mental 
aberration. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  seen,  that  any  one 
predisposed  to  obesity,  and  wishing  to  preserve  the 
integrity  of  his  health  and  working  capacity,  should 
be  ever  on  his  guard  against  any  superfluous  deposit 
of  fat  in  his  body.  Any  sign  of  such  a  deposit  may 
be  regarded  as  an  evidence  of  wrong  methods  of  liv- 
ing, and  an  admonition  to  adopt  such  measures  as 
will  prevent  the  further  accumulation  of  fat,  and  dis- 
pose of  any  excess  already  deposited.  To  either  of 
these  ends  there  are  no  better  means  than  such  as  will 
ensure  an  increased  action  of  the  skin.  Against  the 
well-known  BANTING  cure — the  greatest  possible 
abstinence  from  fatty  or  farinaceous  food — I  would 
caution  all  persons  with  whom  the  deposit  of  fat  has 
attained  to   any  considerable   proportions,   because. 


14  Effects  of  Mccess  of 

under  such  circumstances,  such  abstinence  may  be- 
come dangerous  ;  and  even  though  it  bring  no  peril 
with  it  in  particular  cases,  the  efficacy  of  the  Banting 
cure  is  infinitely  inferior  to  the  agency  of  an  active 
skin  in  restoring  a  healthy  condition  to  mind  and  body. 

An  inordinate  increase  of  the  percentage  of  water 
is  not  so  apparent  as  an  excessive  deposit  of  fatty 
matter — if  the  two  morbid  conditions  do  not  manifest 
themselves  concurrently,  which  is  generally  the  case 
— yet  it  makes  itself  distinctly  felt  ;  the  flesh  is 
flabby,  and  doughy,  Avhereas  under  normal  conditions 
it  would  be  elastic  and  firm.  An  accumulation  of 
water  in  the  system  directly  tends  to  increase  the 
percentage  of  water  in  the  blood,  which  means  poor- 
ness of  blood,  and  a  consequent  lowering  of  the  powers 
of  all  parts  of  the  body  ;  for  their  nutrition  is 
lessened,  and  the  water  in  them  increases,  lowering 
the  vital  forces,  or,  in  other  words,  diminishing  the 
normal  activity  of  nerve  and  muscle,  and  eventually 
suspending  it  altogether. 

This  is  shown,  on  the  one  hand,  by  the  phenom- 
ena attendant  on  dropsy  proper;  and,  on  the  other, 
by  the  effect  of  the  diminution  of  water  in  the  tissues, 
upon  the  rate  of  nerve  transmission.  I  had  evidence 
of  this  in  an  experiment  made  upon  myself  and  a  few 
thoroughly  healthy  subjects,  among  whom  were  two 
of  our  local,  medical  men.  In  this  experiment  I  en- 
deavored to  express  by  figures  how  far  the  loss  of 
water  in  the  tissues,  caused  by  the  action  of  a  Turk- 
ish bath,  would  affect  the  speed  of  nerve  transmission, 
not  only  in  the  sensory  and  motor  nerves,  but  also  in 
the  cranial  nerves.  The  experiment  was  conducted  in 
the  following  manner  : 


Fat  and  Water  in  the  Tissues.  15 

A  stop-watch  is  used,  the  index-hand  of  which,  by 
simple  pressure  exerted  upon  two  separate  knobs,  can 
be  disconnected  and  reconnected  at  pleasure  with  the 
clock-work,  which  continues  to  run  ;  and  the  stop- 
watch is  so  graduated  as  to  indicate  spaces  of  time  as 
short  as  two  two-thousandths  of  a  second.  The 
operator  holds  the  knob  that  sets  the  index-hand  in 
motion,  while  upon  the  stoppage-knob  rests  the  finger 
of  the  person  undergoing  the  test.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  trial  the  index-hand  stands  still, 
and  its  position  is  noted.  As  soon  as  the  operator 
starts  the  index-hand,  by  pressing  the  knob  under  his 
control,  the  other  person  must  arrest  it  by  pressing 
the  second  knob.  The  difference  between  the  two 
readings  or  positions  of  the  index,  will  then  accurately 
indicate,  on  a  scale  of  one  two-thousandth  part  of  a 
second,  the  time  taken  by  the  above  excitation  to 
run  its  course  through  the  eye,  the  optic  nerves,  the 
brain,  the  nerves  of  the  arm,  and  finally  reach  the 
muscles  actuating  the  finger  that  presses  against  the 
knob.  I  made  another  experiment.  The  stop-watch 
was  connected  with  an  electric  bell,  which  indicated 
to  the  subject  of  the  test,  the  starting  of  the  index- 
hand.  This  gave  the  time  of  transmission  of  the  ner- 
vous impulse  from  the  ear  to  the  finger.  Thirdly  : 
to  test  the  activity  of  the  brain,  two  bells  were  con- 
nected with  the  clock-work,  one  on  the  right  hand 
and  the  other  on  the  left  of  the  subject  of  the  test,  in 
each  of  whose  hands  was  placed  a  knob  with  which 
to  stop  the  index.  The  operator  held  in  his  grasp 
two  other  knobs,  enabling  him  to  ring  the  bell  on 
either  side  at  will,  when  the  index-hand  was  set  a- 
going.     The  subject  of  the  test  was  required  to  press 


16  Effects  of  Excess  of 

the  knobs  right  or  left,  according  to  the  right  or  left 
ringing  of  the  bell.  The  intervals  of  time,  as  ascer- 
tained in  this  last  trial,  were  constantly  longer  than 
those  recorded  in  the  second  experiment,  when  only 
one  bell  had  been  used  ;  and  the  deduction  of  the 
interval  of  time,  involved  in  the  second  experiment, 
from  that  required  in  the  third  experiment,  will  give 
the  duration  of  the  psychical  operation  upon  which 
depends  the  act  of  discrimination  between  right  and 
left.  Of  course  such  tests  need  repetition  at  least 
half  a  dozen  times,  and  the  average  will  give  the 
result.  In  the  series  of  experiments  above  described, 
the  tests  were  applied  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day 
previous  to  the  persons'  taking  a  Turkish  bath,  and 
repeated  the  following  day  at  the  same  hour,  but  after 
a  Turkish  bath  taken  in  the  morning.  In  each  case 
there  was  increased  rapidity  of  action,  the  average 
amounting  to  13  j^er  cent.  This  is  the  numerical  ex- 
pression of  an  important  enhancement  in  the  caj^acity 
of  the  nervous  and  mental  energy. 

Before  I  had  instituted  these  stop-watch  experi- 
ments, I  had  become  aware,  in  the  following  manner, 
of  the  great  influence  exercised  by  the  relative  pro- 
portion of  water  in  the  body  upon  the  working  powers 
of  the  mind.  Towards  the  end  of  last  winter,  and, 
without  signs  of  any  particular  sickening,  I  experi- 
enced so  notable  a  diminution  of  my  working  capa- 
city, while  engaged  in  tlie  preparation  of  a  book  on 
The  Workltig  Power  of  Man^  that  I  could  at  most 
accomplish  but  eiglit  manuscript  j)ages  a  day,  while  I 
found  I  required  a  very  unusual  period  of  sleep. 
Contemporaneously  with  this,  I  had  increased  in  girth 
very   considerably.     It   occurred   to  me  at  the  time 


Fat  and  Water  in  the  Tissues.  .     17 

that  the  cause  of  this  diminished  capacity  for  work 
might  be  attributable  to  increase,  not  only  of  fatty 
matter,  but  of  water  also  ;  and  I  resolved  to  seek  a 
remedy,  commencing  with  a  few  Turkish  baths,  and 
continuing  with  a  regular  course  of  exercise.  Ere  I 
had  reached  the  latter  stage  of  my  training,  my 
capacity  for  mental  work  had  so  far  improved,  after 
five  Turkish  baths,  that  I  could  accomplish  nearly 
double  the  amount  of  manuscript  in  the  course  of  the 
day. 

In  considering  how  far  an  increased  percentage  of 
water  in  the  system,  enhances  the  liability  to  sick- 
•ness,  the  fact  may  be  instanced,  that  decay  sets  in 
much  sooner  after  death  in  dropsical  cases  than  in 
others  ;  showing  that  an  excess  of  water  accelerates 
the  decomposition  of  the  b.>dily  substance.  To  this 
may  be  added,  that,  when  the  blood  is  watery,  and, 
therefore,  in  a  more  fluid  state,  the  tendency  to  in- 
jurious irregularities  in  its  distribution,  is  greatly  aug- 
mented ;  and  I  would,  at  least  partly,  ascribe  sensi- 
tiveness to  so-called  colds  and  chills  to  an  excess  of 
water  in  the  system,  upon  the  following  grounds  : 
From  the  teachers'  attendance-books  at  the  two  Stutt- 
gart High  Schools,  I  made  a  note  of  all  cases  of 
non-attendance  in  the  first  class,  taking  the  totals  for 
the  winter  months  from  the  year  1857  down  to  1874, 
and  the  figures  are  :  For  October,  159  ;  November, 
532  ;  December,  391  ;  (but  considering  the  Christmas 
holidays,  a  corrected  estimate  should  bring  it  up  to 
at  least  500  ;)  January,  682  ;  February,  896  ;  and 
March,  730.  As  non-attendances  at  school  are 
mainly  referable  to  chest  affections,  colds,  and  similar 
complaints,  these  figures  show  that  liability  to  colds 


18  Eff'ects  of  Excess  of 

in  the  course  of  the  winter,  is  gradually  augmented, 
and  reaches  its  highest  point  toward  the  end  of  the 
season.  In  winter  time  there  is  a  variety  of  circum- 
stances likely  to  operate  in  increasing  the  percentage 
of  water  in  the  system  ;  there  is  less  bodily  exercise  ; 
the  thicker  clothing  is  less  pervious  to  the  water  given 
off  from  the  skin  ;  the  indoor  life  in  the  stagnant  at- 
mosphere of  rooms,  arrests  evaporation  ;  and  there  is 
little  or  no  sensible  perspiration.  This  and  other  in- 
quiries have  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  predisposi- 
tion to  colds  and  chills  is  due  to  excess  of  water  in 
the  system,  and  that  the  term  to  "  harden"  the  body  is 
very  significant.  The  bodily  substance  must  be  made 
hard  by  draining  from  it  the  superfluous  water,  if  it 
is  effectually  to  resist  the  exciting  causes  of  colds  and 
chills.  I  have  had  an  instrument  made  which  will 
enable  me  to  verify  statistically,  and  by  actual  experi- 
ment with  living  persons,  whether  my  surmise  on  this 
head  be  correct.*  In  addition  to  the  change  in  the 
due  proportions  of  the  bodily  constituents  just  de- 
scribed, there  supervenes  a  change  in  their  physical 
constitution.  The  most  vital  of  physical  properties 
is  the  excitability  of  nerve  and  muscle.  Upon  this 
depend  the  rapidity  of  bodily  and  mental  labor, 
the  efficiency  of  the  organs  of  sense,  and  the  activity 
of  all  the  bodily  functions  in  relation  to  change  of 
substance,  and  the  phenomena  of  motion.  We  have 
already  seen  that  the  energy  of  the  bodily  tissues  is 
lessened  by  the  lodgment  of  water  and  fat,  which  is 
generally  the  direct  consequence  of  a  sedentary  life  ; 
because  the  greater  part  of  the  body  remains  inert. 

'*  See  "  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body,"  page  33. 


Fat  and  Water  in  the  Tissues.  19 

That  disuse  decreases  the  measure  of  excitability,  or 
the  faculty  of  responding  to  a  stimulus,  is  shown  in 
cases  of  severed  nerves  and  paralyzed  muscles. 

Another  physical  property  impaired  and  changed 
for  the  worse  by  insufficient  action  of  the  skin,  is 
the  elasticity  of  those  parts  of  the  body  which  are 
moved  by  the  nerves  and  the  muscles.  The  effect  on 
the  working  capacity  shows  itself  (to  borrow  an  ex- 
ample from  the  lower  animals)  in  the  shape  of  stiff- 
ness, which  is  very  noticeable  in  animals  kept  too 
long  in  the  stable.  But  a  greater  evil  is  the  loss  of 
elasticity  in  the  blood-vessels  and  the  lungs,  diminish- 
ing the  capacity  for  work  and  the  power  to  withstand 
the  causes  of  disease.  Just  as,  from  long  disuse,  a 
gutta-percha  hose  will  lose  its  elasticity,  turn  hard, 
and  become  brittle;  so,  also,  will  it  fare  with  the 
blood-vessels  if  their  activity  be  not  maintained  by 
the  free  exhalations  of  the  skin.  They  can  no  longer 
adequately  respond  to  the  varying  necessities  of  the 
blood-distribution,  required  to  protect  against  the 
causes  of  disease,  or  called  for  by  changes  in  the  em- 
ployment of  the  body;  and  if,  in  the  end,  the  vessels 
become  so  deteriorated  as  easily  to  break,  predispo- 
sition to  apoplexy  is  established.  Diminished  func- 
tional activity  of  the  vascular  system,  and  of  the 
lungs,  moreover,  is  mischievous  in  its  effects  upon  the 
proportions  of  the  constituents  of  the  body.  There 
is  lessened  activity  in  the  interchange  and  restoration 
of  matter,  leading  to  the  accumulation  of  water  and 
fat,  in  the  elimination  of  which  the  above-named  or- 
gans of  the  body  play  a  very  important  part. 


20       The  Cause  of  Ulsease,  and  Disease  Germs. 


THE  CAUSES  OF  DISEASE,  AND 
DISEASE  GERMS. 

(1878.) 

I  HAVE  for  some  time  studied  the  subjects  indi- 
cated in  the  heading  of  the  present  paper,  par- 
ticularly with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the 
liability  of  the  human  body  to  disease,  and  the 
means  by  which  it  may  be  steeled  effectually  to 
withstand  external,  unhealthy  influences.  In  pro- 
fessional parlance,  the  result  of  this  power  of  resist- 
ance goes  by  the  name  of  "  immunity,"  and  in  the 
following  remarks  I  shall  make  occasional  use  of  this 
word  in  the  above  sense. 

My  inducement  to  revert  to  these  studies  is  a  re- 
markable coincidence  between  the  latest  outcome  of 
my  researches  and  the  investigations  prosecuted  by 
Professor  Naegeli,  the  Munich  botanist,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  most  important  group  of  the  external 
causes  of  disease;  namely,  the  poisons  of  infection — 
on  which  he  has  published  a  book  entitled  Die 
niederen  Pilze  in  Hirer  Bezieliung  zu  den  Ivfektions- 
krankheiten* 

I  will  begin  with  an  account  of  my  own  discover- 
ies, to  be  followed  by  an  exposition  of  those  of 
Professor  Naegeli.  My  attention  has  for  years 
been  especially  directed  to  that  particular  change  in 
the  condition  of  the  body,  which  is  popularly  called 

♦  "The  Subordinate  Fungi  or  Germs  in  their  relation  to 
Infectious  Diseases." 


The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs.     2 1 

training,  or  hardening.  The  problems  for  solution 
were  as  follows:  In  what  does  this  change  consist? 
what  are  its  causes,  and  what  its  uses  ?  Professional 
works  supply  but  scanty  information  on  these  points. 

The  first  result  of  my  studies  was,  that,  in  the 
process  of  hardening  the, body,  I  recognized  such  a 
change  in  the  relative  proportions  of  the  three  most 
important,  constituent  parts  of  the  tissues — albumen, 
fat,  and  water — as  clearly  pointed  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  hardening  is  mainly  brought  about  by  the 
elimination  of  fat  and  water.  I  also  contrived  to 
obtain,  by  taking  the  specific  weight  of  the  body, 
numerical  values  expressing  in  figures  the  hitherto 
undefined  notion  embodied  in  the  term  "  hardened," 
or  "  in  good  condition."  As  water  and  fat  are  lighter 
substances  than  albumen,  it  follows  that  a  man  in 
good  condition  must  be  specifically  heavier  than  one 
in  a  weaker  condition,  and  this  has  been  determined 
beyond  doubt  by  measurement  and  weight.* 

Another  outcome  of  my  studies,  was  a  clearer  per- 
ception of  the  circumstances  favoring  the  process  of 
hardening  the  body.  The  misconception  that  this 
consists  in  simply  inuring  the  body  to  cold,  has 
wrought  much  evil  to  the  general  public.  I  have 
succeeded  in  determining  that  a  system  of  clothing, 
which  admits  of  the  free  escape  of  the  watery  vapor, 
given  off  by  the  skin,  tends  to  harden  the  body, 
while  clothing,  which  impedes  the  elimination  of 
water  from  the  tissues,  is  enervating. 

The  process  of  hardening  the  body  results  in  the 
gain  of  firmer  and  more  compact   flesh, — richer  in 

*  See  "  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body,"  page  33. 


22       The  Cause  of  Disease,  and  Disease  Germs. 

albumen,  and  freer  from  fat  and  water.  I  believe  it 
to  admit  of  no  further  doubt  that  this  is  equivalent 
to  an  increase  of  the  power  of  the  body  to  withstand 
the  action  of  morbific  influences,  and  that,  conse- 
quently, the  current  conception  of  florid,  exuberant 
health  is  altogether  erroneous.  The  healthiest  people 
are  endowed  with  tough,  wiry,  firm  flesh,  and  well- 
knit  frames,  and  such  subjects  withstand  much  better 
not  only  climatic  changes,  but  also  those  inflammatory 
affections  which  are  engendered  by  the  intrusion  of 
living  disease  germs  into  the  human  body. 

Shortly  before  I  had  thoroughly  possessed  myself 
of  these  facts,  there  appeared  the  above-named  work 
by  Professor  Naegeli,  containing  disclosures  so  note- 
worthy on  the  subject  of  the  so-called  infectious 
diseases,  that  I  at  once  formed  the  design  of  com- 
municating some  of  its  leading  features  to  my  read- 
ers, without,  however,  then  suspecting  into  what 
intimate  relation  Naegeli's  researches  might  come 
with  my  own. 

To  Professor  Pettexkofee,  of  Munich,  belongs  the 
merit  of  the  discovery  that  the  germs  of  infection  in 
cholera  and  typhus  (nervous  fever)  find  a  dwelling- 
j)lace  in  the  underground  water-passages  into  which 
wells  are  sunk  ;  that,  in  such  localities,  they  will  not 
only  exist,  but  multiply  ;  and  that  from  this  base  of 
operations  they  carry  out  the  work  of  infection  by 
finding  ways  to  reach  the  human  body.  He  was  the 
first  to  promulgate  the  fact,  since  extensively  con- 
firmed by  others,  that  tlie  danger  of  infection  in- 
creases when  the  level  of  underground  water  is 
lowered,  and  conversely  that  the  danger  diminishes 
as  the  water  rises.     This  harmonizes  with  the  fact 


The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs.     23 

that  intermittent  fever,  which  is  generated  in 
marshy  surfaces,  makes  its  appearance  with  aug- 
mented frequency  when  the  sinking  of  the  water 
level  lays  bare  more  extended  tracts  of  marshy  sur- 
face, thus  allowing  the  unquestionably  animate  germs 
to  rise  in  the  air. 

On  this  so-called  underground-water  theory  of 
Pettenkofer's,  Naegeli  grafts  his  observations. 
From  a  series  of  experiments,  carried  on  for  a  period 
of  nine  years,  with  the  subordinate  fungi,  or  germs, 
he  is  led  not  only  to  adopt,  but  to  enforce  with  fresh 
and  convincing  arguments,  the  opinion  long  ago  ex- 
pressed by  other  observers,  that  the  germs  of  infec- 
tion in  the  above-named  maladies  belong  to  the  samo 
group  of  living  organisms  as  the  familiar  ferment  of 
putrescence — that  is,  to  the  group  of  bacteria  which 
are  so  exceedingly  minute  that,  according  to  Nae- 
GELi,  30,000  milliards  of  them  make  up  the  weight  of 
one  gramme. 

That  certain  soils,  such  as  that  of  Munich,  are  espe- 
cially productive  of  typhus,  is  explained  by  Naegeli, 
taking  PETTE]sns:orER's  views  into  account,  in  this  wise : 

^*  The  first  condition  of  a  malarious  soil,  breeding 
endemic  and  epidemic  maladies,  is  underground  water, 
lying  not  too  far  from  the  surface,  with  alternate 
rise  and  subsidence  of  level,  resulting  in  alternations 
of  wet  and  dry  strata.  When  these  strata  become 
dry,  the  germs  cling  to  the  earth,  and  where  the  soil 
is  light  and  the  air  follows  the  subsiding  level  of 
underground  water,  the  germs  pervade  this  under- 
ground atmosphere,  and  if  there  be  an  issue  towards 
the  surface,  they  will  rise  througli  it  intg  the  open 
air." 


24       TJiii  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs. 

He  shows  very  clearly  that  this  underground  air  is 
attracted  into  houses  by  the  suction  of  the  fires  -- 
the  kitchen  and  other  rooms  ;  and  he  adds  thr 
best- warmed  rooms  are  the  most  dangerous,  x  . 
fessor  Naegeli,  therefore,  sets  his  face  against 
heated  bedrooms  at  night,  and  even  suggests  that  by 
heating  some  other  unoccupied  room  at  night  the 
course  of  the  germs  may  be  diverted  from  the  sleep- 
ing-rooms. 

But  it  appears  that  the  germs  cannot  rise  with  the 
underground  air  whenever  the  stratum  of  earth  con- 
taining them  has  again  become  wet,  either  by  a  fall 
of  rain  from  above  or  by  the  elevation  of  the  under- 
ground water-level.  The  germs  will  then  cling  to 
the  ground  so  firmly  that  not  even  a  powerful  cur- 
rent of  air  avails  to  detach  them. 

Two  remedies  are  suggested  for  this  chief  cause  of 
an  epidemic  soil :  the  complete  removal  of  the  under- 
ground water,  or  at  any  rate  its  relegation  into  lower 
depths  ;  or,  if  this  be  impracticable,  the  maintenance 
of  a  constantly  uniform  surface-level  of  the  under- 
ground water. 

To  guard  against  the  penetration  of  air  ascending 
from  epidemic  soil.  Professor  Naegeli  recommends 
cementing  the  cellar  floors  and  walls,  and  the  ground 
floor  ;  and,  as  the  ur  lerground  air  not  only  rises  into 
the  interior  of  houses,  but  makes  its  way  through 
the  walls  as  well,  he  further  suggests  an  air-tight 
outer  casing  for  the  foundation  walls.  Finally ; 
with  regard  to  the  constitution  of  the  soil,  the  danger 
will  increase  with  the  degree  of  its  porosity  or  capac- 
ity for  holding  underground  air,  and  of  its  readiness 
to  dry.     Hence  firm,  clay  soils  are  exempt   from  in- 


The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs.     25 

fectioD,  while  the  most  unhealthy  soils  are  those  con- 
"«ting  of  gravel  and  coarse   sand  intermingled,  like 

"■uinich  soil, 
c  .l:  Tofessor  Naegeli's  experiments,  which  extended 
over  a  period  of  years,  on  the  conditions  of  the  gen- 
eration and  growth  of  the  subordinate  fungi,  or 
germs,  have  led  him  to  the  conclusion  that  these 
fungi  require,  as  nutrient  elements  of  existence,  cer- 
tain substances  which  are  soluble  in  water.  But  they 
can  live  only  on  condition  that  the  pabulum  so 
formed  shall  consist  of  certain  proportions  of  water 
and  food  materials — in  other  words,  provided  that 
the  solution  has  the  required  degree  of  cencentra- 
tion.  Here  we  need  only  consider  the  effect  of  an 
augmentation  of  this  degree;  and  I  shall  adduce  a 
few  familiar  examples  by  way  of  illustration. 

The  fermentation  of  wine  must,  fruit-juices,  brew- 
ers' mash,  etc.,  is  effected  by  means  of  the  fungus 
familiarly  known  as  "  barm,"  or  "  yeast."  This 
process  of  fermentation  may  be  checked  by  simply 
withdrawing  some  of  the  water  from  these  juices, — 
that  is,  by  thickening  the  liquor, — when  (if  the  ab- 
straction be  sufficient)  fermentation  will  cease,  be- 
cause the  germs  cannot  subsist  in  this  excessive 
proportion  of  the  nutrient  material — in  this  case,  the 
sugar.  A  similar  effect  is  produced  if,  in  stead  of 
drawing  off  water,  the  quantity  of  sugar  be  in- 
creased. 

The  same  method  applies  to  the  germs  of  putres- 
cence. To  prevent  the  tainting  or  putrefaction  of 
meat,  some  of  the  water  is  withdrawn  from  the 
juices,  which  are  thereby  thickened.  The  degree 
of  concentration  under  which  the  gv^rms    lose  their 


26       The  Cause  of  Disease,  and  Disease  Germs. 

potentiality  for  decomposition  and  dissemination,  is 
not  equally  high  with  all  the  species.  Professor 
Naegeli  divides  them  into  three  classes  in  this  re- 
spect :  the  bacteria,  to  which  belong  the  ferment  of 
putrescence  and  the  germs  of  'disease  ;  the  yeast 
fungi,  the  most  familiar  among  which  are  the  brew- 
ers' yeast  and  the  vinous  ferment  ;  and  the  fungi 
which  produce  what  is  called  mildew. 

Now,  between  these  three  cases  it  should  be  noticed 
that,  while  the  yeast  fungi  need  and  bear  a  higher 
degree  of  concentration  than  the  bacteria,  they  are 
in  this  particular  far  surpassed  by  the  mildew  fungi. 
For  instance,  a  moderate  drying  will  stay  putre- 
faction of  meat;  but  to  prevent  mildew,  a  much  higher 
degree  of  desiccation  is  necessary.  A  comparison 
between  the  germs  which  cause  mildew,  and  those 
which  cause  fermentation,  may  be  instituted  by  refer- 
ence to  fruit-juices  and  preserved  fruits.  Moderate 
thickening  will  suffice  to  check  fermentation,  but  to 
guard  absolutely  against  mildew,  the  thickening 
process  must  be  carried  much  further. 

Any  substance  which  germs  are  unable  to  use  as 
aliment,  becomes  inimical  to  their  existence  when  it 
has  attained  a  certain  degree  of  concentration.  This 
point  is  of  great  importance  in  its  application  to  what 
is  called  disinfection,  and  Naegeli  points  out  that  in- 
sufficient disinfection,  as  of  cesspools,  for  instance,  in- 
volves much  more  risk  than  the  total  neglect  of  it. 

He  says:  "If  germs  derived  from  cholera,  dj'sen- 
tery,  and  typhus  cases  find  their  way  into  cesspools, 
they  will  retain  their  specific  nature  for  a  sjjort  time 
only;  thereafter  tliey  either  die  or  lose  their  infec- 
tious properties.     On  the  other  hand,  tbc  consequence 


The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs.     27 

of  insufficient  disinfection;  ^.  e.,  of  disinfection  shoil 
of  the  degree  of  concentration  that  kills — is,  that 
morbific  fungi  will  continue  to  germinate  and  fer- 
ment, while,  at  the  same  time,  and  for  that  very  rea- 
son, they  will  preserve  their  specific  nature  of  infec- 
tion. Such  inadequate  disinfection,  therefore,  is 
tantamount  to  preserving  the  germs,  whose  infectious 
quality  is  revived  when  they,  through  insufficient  dis- 
infection, emei'ge  into  the  upper  air,  and  make  their 
way  into  the  human  body." 

The  most  interesting  of  Professor  ISTaegeli's  ob- 
servations, is  that  there  occurs  a  struggle  for  existence 
between  the  different  species  of  the  germs  when  they 
come  into  contact  in  a  nutrient  solution.  This  ex- 
plains, not  only  the  connection  between  the  process  of 
bodily  hardening,  and  the  power  of  resisting  epidemic 
attacks,  but  also  many  phenomena  attending  the  fer- 
mentation of  liquors;  and  on  that  account,  I  am  in- 
duced to  dwell  at  somewhat  greater  length  upon  the 
subject,  quoting  IsTaegeli's  own  words  : 

"It  was  formerly  assumed  that  any  plant  will  be 
found  wherever  climate  and  soil  favor  growth,  pro- 
vided that  that  seed  had  previously  reached  such 
spots.  ISToWj  however,  we  know  that  this  plant-growth 
depends  quite  as  much  upon  its  surrounding  fellow- 
plants,  as  upon  climate  and  soil,  and  that,  in  particular, 
the  most  closely  allied  species  will  exert  a  more  deci- 
sive influence.  Many  species  can  grow  in  certain 
localities  only  if  others,  ranking  in  the  same  genus, 
be  wanting.  For  instance,  the  rusty-looking  Alpen- 
rose  thrives  well  in  calcareous  soil,  but  only  when 
the  hairy  Alpenrose  is  absent.  If  the  latter  be  pres- 
ent, it  will  utterly  exterminate  the  former.     The  same 


28       The  Cause  of  Disease,  and  Disease  Germs. 

law  holds  as  to  the  two  primrose  species  found  upon 
more  or  less  damp  grounds." 

(I  may  add  that  the  most  familiar  amongst  these 
plant-struggles,  are  those  occurring  between  useful 
growths  and  weeds.) 

"  The  same  law  governs  the  lower  fungi.  One 
genus,  which  under  given  circumstances  will  thrive 
well,  is  exterminated  by  another  genus  which  here  ap- 
pears the  more  favored  plant;  whereas,  the  former, 
under  differing  conditions,  is  strong  enough  to  expel 
the  latter.  Inattention  to  this  fact  has  given  rise  to 
many  erroneous  assertions  respecting  antiseptics." 

To  render  these  phenomena  more  intelligible,  I  will 
adduce  an  example.  If  germs  of  putrefaction,  or  fer- 
mentation, and  of  mildew  be  placed  in  certain  saccha- 
rine solutions  having  a  neutral  reaction,  (that  is, 
neither  acid  nor  alkaline,)  only  the  first-named  will 
multiply,  setting  up  lacteous  fermentation.  But,  if  to 
the  same  solution  be  added  a  half  per  cent,  of  acetic 
acid,  the  germs  of  fermentation  alone  will  multiply 
and  cause  vinous  fermentation;  whence  it  comes  that 
must,  containing  too  little  acid,  will  turn  sour;  and, 
if,  finally,  4  or  5  per  cent,  of  tartaric  acid  be  put  into 
the  same  solution,  only  mildew  fungi  will  be  produced. 

It  would  be  wrong  to  conclude  from  these  facts, 
which  invariably  recur  on  every  occasion,  that  a  half- 
per-cent.  of  acid  prevents  putrefaction,  and  4  to  5  per 
cent,  prevents  fermentation;  for  the  germs  of  putre- 
faction will  actively  multij)ly  in  the  same  nutrient 
solution  with  an  additional  \^  per  cent,  of  tartaric 
acid,  provided  they  he  not  exterminated  hy  the  ycrms 
of  fermentation. 

I  may  explain  that  must,  or  unfermented  new  wine, 


The  Cause  of  Disease,  and  Disease  Germs.     29 

without  acid,  would   unquestionably  turn  sour,  and  : 
rather  large  proj^ortion  of  acid  would  be  needed  to  pre 
vent  the  souring  of  the  wine;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand^ 
vinous  ferment  be  added,  the  latter  will  gain  the  ad- 
vantage, even  with  a  low  percentage  of  acid. 

Professor  I^aegeli  then  goes  on  to  show,  that  the 
strength  of  individual  numbers  also  exercises  a  deci- 
sive influence  in  the  struggle.  It  would  appear  that 
when  one  kind  of  germs  takes  possession  of  a  solu- 
tion in  great  numerical  strength,  they  will  vanquish 
their  adversaries,  (if  the  latter  be  in  a  minority,) 
under  conditions  that  would  insure  their  own  defeat 
were  they  deficient  in  numbers.  This  we  see  in  unfer- 
mented  wine,  and  in  brewers'  mash;  to  prevent  them 
from  souring,  yeast  is  needed  in  such  quantity  that  it 
may  retain  the  mastery  over  the  ever-intruding  germs 
of  the  acetous  ferment.  With  a  knowleds^e  of  these 
facts,  we  can  explain  the  relation  of  the  body  to  the 
germs  of  disease. 

The  following  is  the  fourth  instructive  discovery  of 
Professor  Naegeli,  respecting  the  subordinate,  fer- 
menting fungi.  Each  species  excretes  certain  ele- 
ments, which,  as  a  rule,  are  entirely  characteristic  of 
the  species.  Thus,  vinous  ferment  and  brewers'  yeast, 
throw  oif,  as  a  special  excretion,  tartaric  acid;  the 
"mother  of  vinegar,"  vinegar;  the  rennet  or  lactous 
ferments,  lactic  acid;  other  ferments  butyric  acid,  and 
the  ferment  of  putrescence,  the  well-known  offensive 
effluvia. 

It  may  be  observed  of  these  excretions,  that  they 
imperil  the  existence  of  the  germs  themselves  when- 
ever they  accumulate  beyond  a  certain  percentage  in 
the  solution  which  the  latter  inhabit. 


30       The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs. 

Thus,  for  instance,  fermentation  will  cease  in  must- 
liquor  very  highly  charged  with  sugar,  when  the  per- 
centage of  alcohol  has  attained  to  certain  given  limits, 
even  though  there  should  still  be  a  sufficiency  of  fer- 
menting material — that  is  to  say,  of  sugar — unless,  by 
exposing  the  solution  to  the  air,  the  notoriously  vola- 
tile tartaric  acid  is  allowed  to  escape. 

The  same  applies  to  decomposition.  In  open  cess- 
pools, putrefaction  proceeds  until  all  the  material  is 
consumed,  because  the  offensive  excretions  of  the 
fungi  escape;  but  when  a  cesspool,  fosse,  or  ditch  is 
kept  closely  shut  down,  the  process  of  decomposition 
is  completely  arrested,  as  fermentation  would  be  in  a 
well-corked  bottle.  I  have  had  abundant  evidence  of 
this  in  my  own  experience  with  putrescent  sea-water 
and  decaying  carcasses. 

Naegeli  especially  addresses  himself,  in  his  book, 
to  the  task  of  determining  from  his  experiments  what 
preventive  measures  should  be  adopted  with  reference 
to  the  morbific  germs  existing  elsewhere  than  in  the 
body;  but  of  this  question  I  shall  not  speak  now.  He 
explains  a  part  only  of  the  phenomena  of  the  relations 
of  these  germs  to  the  living  body,  although  he  might 
certainly  have  elucidated  the  whole  problem  from  his 
experience  of  them  in  inert  solutions. 

What  Naegeli  correctly  apprehended  is  shown 
when  he  gives,  as  an  illustration  of  the  relation  of 
these  germs  to  the  living  body,  the  case  in  which,  in 
his  experiments,  two  different  kinds  of  germs  came 
into  conflict  in  one  nutrient  solution. 

This  bears  directly  upon  the  contest  between  the 
germs  and  the  living  tissues  of  the  human  body;  a 
contest  which  begins  in  a  nutrient  solution  suited  t<^ 


The  Cause  of  Disease^  and  Disease  Germs.     31 

both  the  combatants  alike;  and  very  important  ii 
Naegeli's  assertion  that  the  contest  turns  upon 
numbers.  Therefore,  since  the  number  of  the  bodily 
tissues  concerned  is  a  fixed  quantity,  it  will  depend 
upon  the  numerical  strength  of  the  germs  whether 
they  will  set  up  disease  or  not. 

The  assault  may  be  so  overwhelming  that  the  body 
will  inevitably  succumb;  but  even  the  most  danger- 
ous germs  of  infection  are  powerless  for  evil  if  the 
attack  be  commenced  by  an  insuflScient  number. 
Naegeli  rightly  says,  that,  until  he  made  this  dis- 
covery, he  had  altogether  doubted  whether  the  in- 
fecting matter  could  consist  of  live  organisms;  for  he 
reasoned  as  follows:. 

"  One  such  germ  in  a  sufficiently  nutrient  solution, 
which  the  human  body  usually  affords,  can  propagate 
100,000  individuals  within  seven  or  eight  hours,  and 
would  thus  invariably  induce  disease.  Yet  this  can- 
not be  the  case,  or  we  should  be  driven  to  the  im- 
possible conclusion  that,  during  an  epidemic  of 
cholera  or  typhus  fever,  those  that  sickened  had 
alone  inhaled  or  swallowed  these  tiny  microscopic 
germs,  while  all  other  members  of  the  community 
had  not." 

The  fact  that,  during  the  prevalence  of  an  epi- 
demic, one  section  of  the  inhabitants  enjoys  good 
health,  another  feels  but  slightly  affected,  a  third 
sickens  more  seriously,  while  a  fourth  section  dies, 
some  speedily,  others  after  protracted  illness,  is 
ascribed  by  Professor  Naegeli  to  the  varying 
strength  of  the  infection;  but  he  does  not  take  into 
account  that  it  must  also  depend  upon  the  condition 
of  the  body  and  its  juices,  as  to  which  of  the  two 


32      The  Cause  of  Disease,  and  Disease  Germs. 

combatants  in  tlie  struggle  shall  gain  the  victory.  In 
this  direction  he  touches  upon  the  familiar  experience 
that  a  person  once  attacked  by  small-pox,  scarlet 
fever,  typhus,  etc.,  will  for  a  greater  or -less  subse- 
quent interval  of  time  enjoy  immunity  from  those 
disorders.  In  this,  as  we  shall  see,  he  is  correct, 
without,  however,  hitting  the  mark  as  accurately  as 
he  might  have  done  from  the  knowledge  gained  in 
his  experiments  with  germs  elsewhere  than  in  the 
body. 

Researches  prosecuted  for  many  years,  having  long 
ago  convinced  me  that  an  inordinate  percentage  of 
water  in  the  body  will  enhance  the  liability  to  sick- 
ness, I  at  once  recognized  in  Naegeli's  discoveries, 
the  true  explanation  of  the  fact  ascertained  by  me, 
that  seasoned  soldiers  enjoy  greater  immunity  from 
infection  than  men  less  far  advanced  in  the  term  of 
army  service.  Strong  and  sustained  bodily  exercise 
stimulates  the  activity  of  the  skin,  draining  the  water 
out  of  the  body—  that  is,  it  reduces  or  thickens  the 
mass  of  the  bodily  juices. 

In  times  of  infection  this  increased  density  of  the 
mass  is,  of  itself,  an  advantage  to  the  living  tissues 
of  the  body,  because  the  firmer  these  are  set,  the 
greater  will  be  the  energy  of  the  vital  forces  for  their 
struggle  with  the  germs  of  infection,  which  are 
weakened  in  proportion  as  the  degree  of  concentra- 
tion of  the  bodily  juices  is  raised.  Hence,  a  compar- 
atively small  difference,  in  the  percentage  of  water  in 
the  bod}',  may  decide  the  issue  in  the  struggle  of  the 
latter  against  the  germs  of  infection. 

What,  then,  may  be  learnt  from  these  discoveries 
as  applicable  to  infectious  diseases?    At  least,  this: 


The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body.  33 

That  the  latter  take  root  in  that  effete  bodil}^  con- 
dition which  is  the  consequence  of  an  irrational  nian- 
ner  of  living.  I  have  examined  from  this  point  of 
view,  whatever  is  known  respecting  all  kinds  of  epi- 
demics, and  everything  confirms  this  view.  Were  it 
customary  to  live  according  to  the  dictates  of  reason ; 
to  steel,  harden,  and  temper  the  body;  we  should  be 
as  exempt  from  epidemic  disease  as  are  those  animals 
that  live  in  the  open  air. 

Destructive  infantile  disorders,  like  scarlatina, 
measles,  and  quinsy,  are  emphatically  maladies  of 
enervation  and  enfeeblement.  The  prevalent  irra- 
tional treatment  of  children,  not  only  in  their  infancy, 
but  also  during  their  school  years,  is  mainly  respon- 
sible for  these  disorders. 


THE    SPECIFIC    GRAVITY   OF    THE    BODY. 

(1878.) 

THE  discovery  that  a  superfluity  of  tissue  water 
in  the  body,  materially  increases  its  liability  to 
sicken  from  infectious  disease,  became  the  keynote 
to  my  studies  on  "Strength  of  Constitution;"  a  term 
which  includes  the  question  of  greater  or  less  liability 
to  sickness,  as  well  as  that  of  the  working  capacity. 
ISTot  only  did  it  then  clearly  appear  upon  what 
strength  of  constitution  is  based,  and  by  what  means 
it  may  be  enhanced,  but  also  that  it  can,  with  a  large 
degree  of  certainty,  be  estimated  by  measurement. 

In  compiling  a  tabulated  statement  of  measure- 
ments of  soldiers,  for  the  purpose  of  calculating  the 
average  of  health  for  each  of  the  three  years  of  army 


34  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body. 

service,  I  had  at  first  no  suspicion  of  the  astounding 
result  to  be  obtained  by  the  computation  of  tlie 
weight  per  liter  (quart)  volume  of  the  individual 
soldier;  indeed  I  feel  satisfied  that  no  professional 
man  would  have  expected  to  find  so  great  a  variation. 

The  smallest  liter-weight  among  the  sixty-five  men 
measured,  amounted  to  764  grams,  the  highest  to 
1,000  grams;*  a  difference  of  almost  40  per  cent.  If, 
in  these  two  extreme  cases,  the  men  had  been  equally 
tall  and  stout — that  is,  of  quite  the  same  bulk,  say  70 
liters — the  light  man  would  have  weighed  118  lbs., 
the  heavy  man  159 J  lbs.,  so  that  the  latter  would 
have  been  heavier  by  41^  lbs.  The  difference  is  the 
more  surprising,  if  we  take  into  account  that  these 
two  men  were  almost  of  the  same  age,  varying  only 
by  one  year;  that  the  light  man  was  by  no  means  a 
sickly,  feeble  subject,  but  apparently  so  healthy  and 
strong  that  no  objection  had  been  raised  to  his  admis- 
sion into  the  army.  Still  greater  differences  will  be 
found  if  the  specific  gravity  of  people  of  the  lowest 
constitutional  vigor  could  be  measured. 

If  the  differences  in  the  weight  of  the  liter  volume 
of  the  strong  and  the  weak  amounted  merely  to  a 
fractional  percentage,  they  might  be  regarded  as  a 
curious  scientific  discovery  of  no  practical  importance. 
13ut  the  case  stands  otherwise. 

An  instrument  is  required  which  shall  determine,  at 
least  with  approximate  accuracy,  the  bodily  bulk.  A 
method  of  testing  the  bodil}''  condition  would  then 
be  supplied,  which  in  point  of  accuracy,  and  diversity 
of  a{)plication,  would  far  surpass  any  that  has  hitherto 

♦  1,000  grams  =  1  kilo  =  abo.it  21  lbs. 


The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body,  35 

been  devised.  ISTow,  such  an  instrument  can  cer- 
tainly be  constructed,  but  not  by  a  scientific  man 
without  the  necessary  means,  unless  at  the  public 
cost.  The  simplest  way  of  ascertaining  the  bulk  of 
the  body  is  by  its  immersion  in  Avater,  but  this 
method  is  cumbersome  and  inconvenient,  and  is  im- 
practicable with  invalids,  females,  etc.  As  a  substi- 
tute for  the  above  method,  the  following  apparatus 
is  worthy  of  consideration.  It  consists  of  an  inclosed 
air-tight  chamber,  connected  on  the  one  hand  with  an 
air-gauge,  and  on  the  other  with  a  second  chamber, 
the  air  in  which  can  be  forced  into  the  first-named 
chamber.  If  the  first  chamber  contains  nothing  but 
air,  the  air  forced  into  it  from  the  second  chamber 
will  raise  the  column  of  mercury  in  the  gauge  up  to 
a  certain  point.  By  introducing  a  compact  body  into 
the  first  chamber,  and  thus  displacing  the  air,  the 
mercury  will  be  made  to  rise  above  the  level  previ- 
ously attained,  in  proportion  to  the  greater  bulk  of 
the  body  intruded.  Consequently  the  bulk  can  be 
correctly  estimated  from  the  height  of  the  column  of 
mercury.  Then  weigh  the  body,  and  divide  the 
weight  by  the  number  of  volumes,  and  the  quotient 
will  denote  the  weight  of  each  litre. 

Small  instruments  of  this  kmd  already  exist,  but 
the  problem  is  to  make  one  large  enough  to  admit  an 
adult.  The  cost  would  not  be  great,  and  the  money 
would  be  well  expended. 

The  question  now  arises  as  to  what  properties  of 
the  body,  will  the  determination  of  the  body's  weight, 
per  unit  of  capacity,  (liter,)  afford  information.  The 
answer  must  be  sought  in  a  consideration  of  the 
parts   which    the    various  bodily  constituents    that 


30  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body. 

are  weighed,  play  in  the  production  of  vital  phe- 
nomena. 

The  lightest  bodily  substance,  except  air,  is  fat, 
with  a  liter- weight  of  937  grams.  Important  as  an 
element  of  nutrition,  it  becomes  injurious  when  pres- 
ent in  excess,  causing  a  diminution  in  the  quantity  of 
blood,  and  impeding  the  circulation,  while  its  de- 
composition evolves  an  abnormal  quantity  of  heat. 
Corpulent  persons  are  incapacitated  for  strenuous 
work,  because  they  so  rapidly  become  heated;  and, 
if  overtaken  with  illness,  they  readily  develop  marked 
feverish  symptoms. 

Next  to  fat,  water  has  the  lowest  liter-weight, 
namely,  1,000  grams.  Some  of  the  injurious  effects 
of  an  excess  of  water  in  the  body,  have  alread}'^  been 
explained;  but  I  will  recapitulate  the  most  important 
points: 

1.  Superfluous  water  renders  all  the  tissues  flabby, 
and  diminishes  their  power  of  resisting  meclianical 
strain.  They  become  more  brittle,  as  regards  the 
bones;  are  more  easily  lacerated  and  distended,  and 
the  natural  connection  of  the  organs  suffers.  Thus 
bone  fractures,  dislocations,  bruises,  lacerations,  in- 
tussusception, (intestinal  invagination,)  etc.;  and  the 
intrusion  into  the  system  of  alien  matters,  including 
the  germs  of  infection,  from  the  coarsest  to  the  most 
minute,  will  more  readily  take  place  ;  the  ability 
for  strenuous  exertion  is  diminished,  and  the  liability 
to  sickness  increased.  Tlirough  this  relaxation  of  the 
blood-vessels,  most  nutabk'  in  the  veins,  originate 
those  troublesome,  hanl-to-be-cured  vein-enlarge- 
ments known  as  hemorrhoides  and  varix,  or  varicose 
veins. 


The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body.  S*? 

2.  Excess  of  water  in  the  muscles  has  a  disabling 
effect,  inducing  a  feeling  of  lassitude.  A  watery 
muscle  is  feeble,  and  tires  quickly. 

3.  Excess  of  water  in  the  tissues  is  particularly  in- 
jurious to  the  nervous  system.  It  heightens  the  sen- 
sibility of  the  nerves,  so  that  trifling  influences  pro- 
duce painful  and  morbid  excitement.  Persons  thus 
affected  easily  catch  cold,  suffer  from  nervous  irrita- 
bility, and,  in  short,  are  especially  exposed  to  all  sorts 
of  nervous  disturbances.  Moreover,  excess  of  water  in 
the  nerves  becomes  a  hindrance  to  the  transmission 
of  their  excitation,  a  state  which  is  bad  in  every  way; 
for  it  increases  the  liability  to  sickness,  while  lessen- 
ing the  capacity  for  work,  particularly  mental  work. 
The  flow  of  thought  in  the  brain  is  obstructed,  re- 
flection becomes  difficult,  sluggish,  less  comprehen- 
sive; and  the  memory  fails.  There  is  a  form  of 
idiocy,  in  which  the  brain  cavities  hold  abnormal 
quantities  of  free  water.  An  excess  of  water  per- 
meating the  brain  substance,  will  of  itself  induce 
dullness. 

4.  The  injurious  effects  of  an  excess  of  water  in  the 
blood  and  other  bodily  juices,  may  be  inferred  from 
what  has  been  stated  m  a  preceding  essay  on  the  sub- 
ject of  liability  to  infection  from  disease  germs.  A 
watery  condition  of  the  stomach  and  of  the  bowels, 
favors  the  propagation  of  the  seeds  of  infection  in 
the  primoe  vice,  or  alimentary  canal,  so  that  the  germs 
of  cholera,  or  of  dysentery,  or,  probably,  of  mucous 
fever,  are  enabled  to  make  a  general  attack  against 
the  body,  and  will  more  readily  ferment  if  the  bodily 
juices  be  watery. 

While  certain  quantities  of  water  and  fat  are  neces 


38  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body. 

saiy  to  the  existence  of  the  human  body,  any  excess 
above  the  indispensable  quantity,  is  detrimental.  But 
since  every  other  constituent  of  the  human  body  is 
specifically  heavier  than  the  water,  and  the  fat,  a 
body  which  possesses  these  in  an  excessive  quantity 
must  be  specifically  lighter  than  one  normally  con- 
stituted; so  that  a  man  of  inferior  specific  gravity 
will  be  less  fit  for  work,  both  phj'^sical  and  mental, 
and  less  capable  of  withstanding  morbific  influences 
of  every  kind. 

The  conclusion,  based  upon  the  nature  and  influ- 
ence of  the  lighter  bodily  constituents,  (water  and 
fat,)  that  the  low  liter-volume  of  the  living  body  is 
an  unfavorable  sign  of  its  condition,  is  confirmed 
when  the  heavier  elements  are  considered. 

I  have  ascertained  by  experiment  that  thoroughly 
dried  muscular  flesh  has  a  liter-volume  of  1,357 
grams — water  1,000,  and  fat  937.  Now  we  know, 
beyond  a  doubt,  that  the  actual  working  substances 
in  every  living  tissue,  are  those  which  remain  after 
drying  ;  i.e.,  the  so-called  albuminous  substances,  and 
the  salts  always  found  in  combination  with  them. 
The  more  plentiful  the  supply  of  such  substances  in 
the  living  tissue,  the  more  energetic  are  its  vital  man- 
ifestations. A  muscle,  for  instance,  will  be  firmer 
and  more  powerful  in  proportion  to  its  solid,  consti- 
tuent j)arts,  and  the  same  law  applies  to  the  energy 
and  rapidity  of  its  contractions.  The  larger  the 
amount  of  solid  constituents  in  the  brain  and  general 
nervous  sytem,  the  more  energetic  will  be  their  man- 
ifestations. The  same  may  be  said  of  the  intestines, 
etc.  Chemical  experiments  show  that  the  mass  of 
solid  residue  in  the  tissues  may  present  a  very  consid- 


The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body.  39 

erable  divergence,  (as  much  as  32  per  cent.,)  and  hence 
it  is  quite  intelligible  that  a  strong  person,  thorough- 
ly fit  for  work,  should  exhibit  a  much  higher  specific 
gravity  than  a  weak,  sickly  person. 

Lastly,  a  cardinal  point  is  the  quantity  of  bone- 
earth,  or  phosphate  of  lime.  Of  all  the  elements 
largely  entering  into  the  constitution  of  the  body, 
this  is  the  heaviest,  being  equal  to  3,180  grams  per 
liter-volume.  It  is  well  known  that  the  robust  pos- 
sess strong,  compact  bones,  while  the  weak  have 
delicate  and  light  ones.  The  more  energetically  a 
man  works,  the  more  powerful  become  his  bones — 
that  is;  first,  they  increase  in  length  and  thickness; 
secondly,  the  protuberances  to  which  the  muscles 
grow  become  enlarged;  lastly,  not  only  does  the  bone 
substance  accumulate  material,  but  it  hardens  and 
acquires  a  higher  specific  gravity.  We  see  this  in 
animals;  the  bones  of  the  domesticated  hog  or  cow, 
which  takes  little  exercise,  are  spongy  and  brittle, 
while  the  bones  of  the  same  animals  in  a  wild  state 
are  extraordinarily  hard,  compact,  and  heavy.  The 
following  illustration  will  make  this  easier  to  be  un- 
derstood. If  coal  or  wood  be  consumed  in  a  stove, 
the  products  of  the  fuel  will  be  of  two  kinds — the 
gases  that  escape  through  the  chimney,  and  the  ashes 
which  drop  into  the  ash-box.  The  quantity  of  ashes 
collected  will  show  what  amount  of  work  the  fire  has 
done.  The  process  in  the  body  is  analogous  :  the 
more  the  body  works,  the  more  nourishment  will  it 
use  up,  giving  rise  to  substances  (such  as  carbonic 
acid,  water,  and  urea)  that  quit  the  body,  leaving 
ashes,  which  the  body  retains,  in  the  form  of  bone- 
earth.     The  bones  collect  the  ashes,  and  the  larger 


40  The  Specific  Gravity  of  the  Body. 

their  store,  tlic  greater  has  been  the  amount  of  work 
performed  by  the  body.  Hence  old  people  have  a 
larger  store  of  bone-earth  than  young  persons;  but, 
if  of  two  individuals  of  equal  age  one  possesses  more 
bone-earth  than  the  other,  it  will  be  an  unmistakable 
sign  that  the  former  has  done  more  work  than  the 
latter,  either  from  superior  diligence  or  the  force  of 
circumstances.  Thus  the  specific  gravity  of  a  man 
shows  whether  he  is  active  and  accustomed  to  labor 
or  not. 

These  considerations  are  of  importance  in  their 
application,  both  to  the  practice  of  medicine  and  to 
health-culture.  On  the  latter  point  they  lend  addi- 
tional weight  to  the  arguments  with  which  I  have 
repeatedly  sought  to  enforce  my  sense  of  the  value 
of  hardening  the  body  by  the  promotion  of  the  ac- 
tivity of  the  skin,  the  thorough  ventilation  of  rooms, 
etc. ;  because  it  is  now  obvious  that  these  measures 
not  merely  afford  protection  against  colds  and  chest 
complaints,  but  also  operate  as  preventives  against 
epidemic  contagion. 

In  this  discovery  there  is  much  that  is  reassuring; 
for,  having  regard  to  the  enormous  difficulty  of 
warding  off  the  attacks  of  these  invisible  germs  of 
infection,  and  of  evicting  them  when  in  possession; 
considering,  moreover,  tliat  the  range  of  infectious 
diseases  continually  widens  with  the  extension  of 
facilities  of  communication,  an  anxious  temperament 
might  give  way  to  despondency.  My  researches 
remove  the  main  ground  for  discouragement.  If  the 
body  be  adequately  hardened,  infection  need  be  no 
more  apprehended  than  colds  and  chest  complaints; 
and  the  method  which  I  have  explained  of  ascertain- 


The  Source  of  the  Emotions.  41 

ing,  by  determining  the  specific  gravity,  whether  the 
requisite  degree  of  hardening  has  been  obtained, 
should  give  additional  ground  for  this  sense  of  se- 
curity. 

Hence,  the  whole  rule  of  health  may  be  summed 
up  in  the  simple  maxim:  Procure,  and  maintain,  the 
highest  possible  specific  gravity — that  is;  fi^rst,  pre- 
vent the  deposit  of  fat;  and  secondly,  promote  the 
elimination  of  water  from  the  tissues,  avoiding  every- 
thing calculated  to  check  it. 

THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  EMOTIONS. 

[In  his  chapter  on  "  The  Source  of  the  Emotions," 
the  Doctor  treats  of  all  the  emotions  under  two  dif- 
ferent and  opposite  classes,  the  essential  distinction 
of  which  is,  painful  and  pleasant;  agreeable  and  dis- 
agreeable; cheerful  and  gloomy;  hopeful  and  de- 
spondent; exalting  and  depressing;  encouraging  and 
disheartening;  invigorating  and  enervating;  exhila- 
rating and  dispiriting;  sorrowing  and  rejoicing,  each 
of  which  classes  he  makes  dependent  upon  certain 
physical  states  or  principles,  designated  respectively 
the  "salutary  principle,"  or  "essence,"  and  the  "nox- 
ious principle,"  or  "  essence."  The  prime  condition 
of  the  predominance  of  the  salutary  principle^  is 
health ;  of  the  noxious  principle^  disease.  These 
principles  have  physical  properties  recognizable, 
chiefly,  by  their  "odors";  the  salutary,  by  agree- 
able; the  noxious,  by  offensive  odors.     The  predom- 


42  The  Source  of  the  Emotions. 

inance  of  the  salutary  principle  signifies  health,  good 
humor,  cheerfulness,  vivacity,  courage,  energy,  hope- 
fulness, freedom  from  offensive  odors,  a  good  appe- 
tite, and  power  to  resist  infection.  The  predomin- 
ance of  the  noxious  principle  implies  the  opposite  of 
all  these  states  and  their  consequences,  prominent 
among  which  is  liability  to  infection.  In  case  of 
anger,  dread,  grief,  excessive  worr}^,  the  noxious 
principle  "  permeates  all  the  bodily  juices,  and  affects 
them  like  a  poison."] 

The  Doctor  proceeds  as  follows: 

It  is  well  known  to  physicians  and  to  others,  that 
great  terror,  great  dread,  alone,  often  causes  the  most 
serious  derangements  of  health,  even  sudden  death. 
Also,  that  illness  is  attended  with  much  greater  risk 
when  accompanied  with  worry,  grief,  or  depression; 
while  it  will  augur  well  for  the  issue  if  the  patient  be 
relieved  from  ajjprehension,  and  a  state  of  cheerful 
confidence,  or,  at  any  rate,  of  composure  be  estab- 
lished. Further,  that  terror,  dread,  grief,  and  care, 
materially  lessen  the  power  of  resisting  certain  dis- 
orders, foremost  among  which  are  epidemic  diseases, 
sucli  as  the  plague,  cholera,  dj'^sentery,  and  small-])ox. 
Of  cholera,  for  instance,  it  is  well  known  that  a  man 
thrown  into  a  state  of  intense  dread  at  sight  of  the 
dead  body  of  a  cholera  patient,  will  almost  certainly 
sicken,  and  often  witli  such  speed  that  within  a  few 
hours  he  may  pass  from  a  state  of  sound  lieallh  to 
collapse  and  death.  Similarly,  in  time  of  war,  armies 
defeated  and  pursued,  present  a  far  more  favorable 
opportunity  for  the  ravages  of  epidemic  disease  than 


The  Source  of  the  Emotions.  43 

their  pursuers,  flushed  with  victory,  even  though  the 
defeated  and  the  conquerors  have  occupied  the  same 
camping  grounds  in  succession. 

For  all  such  phenomena  there  has  hitherto  been  no 
satisfactory  explanation;  they  have  been  ascribed  to 
nervous  agencies,  the  real  cause  being  entirely  over- 
looked; namely,  a  peculiar  volatile  essence,  the  "nox- 
ious" principle,  which  permeates  all  the  bodily  juices 
and  affects  them  in  the  manner  of  a  poison.  That 
some  such  influence  must  be  in  operation,  might  have 
been  inferred  from  the  fact  of  hair  turning  white  as  a 
consequence  of  dread,  grief,  or  care;  this  has  been 
known  to  take  place  in  a  single  night,  when  persons 
have  been  exposed  to  great  dread  or  sorrow.  Here 
the  nervous  system  cannot  be  the  agent,  for  the 
nerves  do  not  reach  into  the  hairs. 

My  discoveries  make  these  phenomena  clearly  in- 
telligible. The  volatile,  ''noxious"  principle,  when  re- 
leased from  the  brain,  enters  the  blood,  by  which  it  is 
conveyed  to  all  parts  of  the  body,  acting  upon  each 
particle  of  living  substance  as  a  paralyzing  poison. 
Any  reader  who  has  once  experienced  it,  knows  how 
terror  and  dread  affect  the  organs  which  are  moved 
and  controlled  by  the  will.  The  limbs  refuse  to  act, 
the  voice  is  choked  in  the  throat,  all  the  muscles  are 
enfeebled  and  relaxed.  Moreover,  the  trouble  does  not 
end  there,  for  the  other  organs  present  similar  phe- 
nomena. The  sensory,  nervous  system  is  disabled. 
In  the  alimentary  canal,  the  paralyzing  action  occa- 
sions an  exudation  of  water,  as  shown  by  the  evac- 
uations. Other  signs  are,  outbreaks  of  perspiration 
upon  the  epidermis,  and  augumented  renal  excretions. 

As  regards  epidemics;  if  an  infectious  disease  pre- 


44  The  Source  of  the  Emotions, 

vail  in  any  place,  and  the  germs  of  it  be  disseminated 
in  the  air,  and  drinking-water,  there  must  be  num- 
bers of  people  into  whose  system  they  will  gain  ad- 
mittance through  the  vehicles  of  food  and  drink, 
without  necessarily  inducing  sickness.  Sickness  will 
be  developed  only  when  the  condition  of  the  body  is 
favorable  to  the  germs.  Such  a  condition  requires, 
first,  that  the  bodily  juices  shall  contain  a  certain 
percentage  of  water,  for,  if  that  be  insufficient,  the 
infection  cannot  take  effect.  This  is  the  reason  why, 
as  shown  in  the  essay  on  "  The  Causes  of  Disease," 
the  process  of  hardening  (water  elimination)  protects 
the  body  from  infection.  Secondly,  the  degree  of 
vital  energy  in  the  tissues,  especially  in  those  of  the 
walls  of  the  intestines,  which  are  first  attacked  by  the 
disease  germs,  is  an  important  factor.  It  will  readily 
be  understood  that  if  the  emotion  or  dread  will  set 
free  within  the  body  a  noxious  element,  having  power, 
as  shown  above,  to  paralyze  all  the  living  tissues,  in- 
cluding the  walls  of  the  intestines,  the  same  cause 
might  suddenly  annihilate  the  body's  faculty  of  with- 
standing the  poison  of  infection. 

In  describing  the  third  condition — hitherto  partly 
unrecognized — under  which  infection  may  be  spread 
l>y  epidemics,  I  am  compelled  to  touch  upon  some  un- 
inviting themes.  Tliis  is  unavoidable,  however,  when 
writing  on  the  subject  of  health-culture  ;  for  tlie 
source  of  many  diseases  will  be  found  to  lie  in  filth 
and  other  repulsive  things,  as  to  which  an  accurate 
knowledge  is  necessary  if  the  diseases  arc  to  be 
cfTcctually  guarded  against. 

Phj'sicians,  and,  indeed,  some  portions  of  the  gen- 
eral public,  have  long  been  cognizant  of  the  fact  that 


TJie  Source  of  the  JEmotions.  45 

the  effluvia  emanating  from  water-closets,  privies  and, 
cesspools,  are  dangerous  to  health,  and  that  people 
who  inhale  such  effluvia  are  very  liable  to  take  in- 
fectious diseases.  Hence,  at  the  outbreak  of  an 
epidemic,  it  has  latterly  been  customary  to  make  a 
thorough  examination  of  these  places,  and  to  get 
them  disinfected.  But  the  lack  of  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  question  has  caused  many  to  go 
astray  in  their  measures  of  precaution. 

For  instance,  it  is  generally  supposed,  (since  in- 
fection has  been  known  to  proceed  from  living 
organisms,)  that  the  offensive  effluvia  of  w^ater-closets 
and  privies  are  not  in  themselves  dangerous,  but 
become  so  only  when  they  contain  these  germs. 
That  is  an  error.  The  mere  inhaling  of  such  effluvia 
will  not  produce  cholera,  typhus,  or  dysentery,  but, 
if  with  the  breath  the  effluvia  enter  the  bodily  juices, 
and  thus  pervade  the  entire  system,  their  action  will 
be  identical  with  that  of  the  mal-odorous,  "  noxious" 
principle.  Liability  to  infection  is  thereby  increased; 
and  all  that  is  needed  for  infection  to  ensue,  is  that 
the  living  organisms,  however  originating,  should 
make  their  way  into  the  body  with  the  air,  food  or 
drink,  which,  during  the  prevalence  of  epidemics, 
may  very  easily  occur.  These  germs  might  not  have 
worked  harm,  had  not  the  way  for  them  been  pre- 
pared by  inhaling  the  effluvia.  The  reason  why,  I 
will  give  presently,  but  I  must  first  explain  one  other 
circumstance,  which  has  hitherto  remained  unnoticed. 

The  alimentary  canal  is  the  real  source  of  the  efflu- 
via in  question.  Being  extremely  volatile,  these  em- 
anations, while  yet  in  the  body,  penetrate  from  the 
intestine  into  the  bodily  juices — a  fact  shown  in  every 


46  The  Source  of  the  Eiaotio7ts. 

^post-mortem  examination — and  thence  they  issue  hy 
means  of  tlie  cutaneous  excretions.  Their  effect  on 
the  bodily  juices  in  reference  to  epidemics,  is  the 
same  as  if  they  had  been  inhaled,  and  as  that  of  the 
mal-odorous,  "noxious"  principle. 

The  essence  of  the  foregoing  statements  is,  that, 
between  the  effluvia  engendered  within  the  body  and 
the  seeds  of  infection,  there  is  a  definite  relation; 
which  relation  I  will  now  endeavor  to  explain. 

Although  every  animal,  and  every  plant,  carries 
within  itself  every  element  that  pertains  to  the  nutri- 
tion of  every  living  being,  yet  each  individual  will 
feed  upon  a  special  kind  of  nutriment,  and  in  some 
cases  upon  a  particular  plant  or  animal  only.  This 
peculiarly  applies  to  parasites;  for  instance,  a  dog- 
flea  might  find  in  the  human  blood  whatever  is  re- 
quired for  its  nutriment,  but  it  has  no  relish  for  it;  in 
fact,  all  vermin  and  parasites  have  their  special  ap- 
petites, and  where  these  cannot  be  indulged,  they  will 
not  thrive,  nor  even  settle. 

This  is  equally  true  of  the  germs  of  infection.  They 
are  parasites  which  in  two  respects  have  their  special 
tastes.  They  settle  upon  one  kind  of  animals  onlj-, 
or,  at  most,  upon  but  few  kinds.  The  cholera  germs 
thrive  upon  man;  but  they  are  attracted  by  the  mal- 
odorous, "noxious"  elements  of  the  body  only,  tlie 
opposite,  fragrant,  "  salutary  "  elements  not  being  to 
their  taste. 

Note. — The  salutary  principle,  as  here  expounded 
by  Dr.  Jaeger,  may  bo  regarded  as  corresponding  to, 
or  as  an  explanation  of,  that  state  of  the  body  which 
is  the  result  of  a  well-balanced  constitution,  and  that 
excellent  condition  of   good  lieaUh  consequent  upon 


The  Source  of  the  Emotions.  47 

living  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  life.  Cheerful- 
ness, good  humor,  vital  energy,  vivacity,  mental  and 
physical  vigor  and  robustness;  activity,  endurance  of 
hardship,  power  to  withstand  climatic  and  weather 
influences,  and  to  resist  infection,  are  all  comprehended 
in  the  one  word  health.  Whatever  difference  there 
may  be  in  terms  or  theory,  the  essential  facts  as  stated 
by  Dr.  Jaeger,  especially  those  relating  to  infectious 
diseases,  are  strikingly  verified  and  illustrated  by  the 
following  lines  of  Dr.  A.  JSF.  JBellj  editor  of  The  San- 
itaria7i,  New  York: 

"  T?ie  Role  of  Infective  Microbes  is  to  battle  with 
the  physiological  powers  of  the  system  which  they 
enter,  and  to  put  it  on  the  defensive  immediately  that 
they  are  distributed  to  the  tissues  of  the  body  by 
means  of  the  blood,  which  carries  them  to  every  part. 
If  the  system  they  enter  be  weak  from  any  cause, 
constitutionally  so,  or  feeble  from  recent  disease;  by 
reason  of  unhealthful  surroundings,  such  as  foul  at- 
mosphere, sudden  exposure  to  excessive  heat  or  cold 
without  sufficient  protection;  deprivation  of  sleep; 
deranged  digestion,  or  mental  disturbance;  above  all, 
by  debauch;  in  short,  if  by  anything  which  disturbs 
bodily  vigor,  the  microbes  have  the  advantage — and 
they  never  fail  to  avail  themselves  of  it — and  gener- 
ally overcome  the  power  of  resistance.  It  is  not  be- 
cause they  are  cowards  and  only  attack  the  weak; 
they  attack  the  strong  and  the  weak  alike  on  every 
opportunity,  but  the  strong — with  all  the  functions  of 
the  body  maintained  in  a  state  of  vigorous  health — 
are  able  to  cope  with  the  microbes  and  overcome  them. 
The  feeble,  on  the  other  hand,  are  taken  at  a  disad- 
vantage, and  the  more  if  the  circumstances  of  their 
enfeeblement  are  in  any  degree  maintained. 

"  *  The  future  of  preventive  medicine,'  said  Profes- 
sor Ray  Lankester,  in  a  lecture  which  he  delivered  at 
the  London  institution  recently,  *  is  the  education  of 


48  The  Source  of  the  Emotions. 

the  wliite  blood  corpuscle.'  A  corpuscle  is  a  minute 
cell  of  protoplasm  which  floats  in  the  human  blood. 
*Tiiis  minute  creature  eats,  and  lives,  and  flourishes, 
and  dies  almost  like  a  human  being.  Its  special  func- 
tion,' said  the  lecturer,  '  is  to  eat  up  the  poisonous 
element  which  finds  its  way  into  the  blood.'  When  a 
wound  heals  it  is  because  these  indefatigable  cor- 
puscles have  found  their  way  to  the  sore  and  have 
eaten  awa}''  the  injured  part.  When  bacteria  get  into 
the  system  the  duty  of  the  corpuscles  is  to  go  for  them 
and  eat  them  up.  If  they  succeed,  the  patient  recov- 
ers. If  they  are  out  of  appetite,  or  the  bacteria  too 
tough  a  morsel  for  them  to  attack,  the  patient  dies. 
Sometimes,  with  unconscious  heroism  worthy  of 
Marcus  Curtius,  they  purify  the  bodies  in  w^iich  they 
live  by  eating  up  poisonous  particles  and  then  eject- 
ing themselves,  thus  sacrificing  their  own  lives.  But 
such  heroic  self-immolation  is  not  necessary,  if  you 
educate  your  corpuscle.  His  education  proceeds  b3'' 
inoculation.  By  accustoming  your  protoplasmic  cell 
to  a  low  diet  of  mildly  poisonous  matter,  such  as  the 
vaccine  lymj^h,  it  becomes  acclimatized,  as  it  were, 
and  is  strong  enough  to  eat  up  without  inconvenience 
the  germs  of  small-pox,  which  would  otherwise  prove 
fatal.  It  is  these  invaluable  corpuscles  which  enable 
confirmed  arsenic  eaters  to  swallow  with  impunity  a 
dose  suflicient  to  kill  six  ordinary  men.'  Professor 
Lankester  is  of  the  opinion  that  tiiey  can  be  trained 
so  as  to  digest  the  most  virulent  poisons  and  deal  with 
a  great  number  of  diseases. 

"With  the  foregoing  suggestions,  it  is  apparent 
that  the  indications  in  dealing  with  the  microbe  (in- 
fectious disease)  are  to  strengthen  the  power  of  re- 
sistance to  and  combat  with  it  in  conjunction  with 
the  use  of  every  available  means  of  preventing  and 
destroying  the  conditions  favorable  to  its  existence 
both  within  and  without  the  human  body." 

What  gives  special  value  to  these  views  of  Dr.  Bell, 
is  the  fact  that  they  were  written  to  illustrate  and 


The  Nature  of  Disease.  49 

emphasize  the  writer's  opinion  that  woolen  clothing 
is  one  of  the  most  effectual  means  of  securing  and 
maintaining  that  condition  of  the  body  upon  which 
health  and  all  its  attendant  blessings  depend. 

The  moral  effects  of  these  opposite  states,  are  no 
less  pronounced  and  conspicuous  than  the  physical. 
The  substance  of  this  is  thus  given  by  Dr.  Jaeger,  in 
the  closing  paragraph  of  this  chapter: 

Every  increase  of  the  "  noxious  "  principle  in  the 
body — no  matter  how  and  whence  arising — creates  a 
sense  of  dread,  apprehension,  discomfort,  and  oppres- 
sion, or  induces  that  condition  in  which  the  impres- 
sions of  things  and  events,  which  would  otherwise  be 
indifferent,  become  a  source  of  annoyance.  Whereas, 
conversely,  the  lower  the  proportion  of  the  "  noxious  " 
principle  within  the  body,  the  more  cheerful  and  joy- 
ous is  the  mood  and  the  nearer  perfect  the  equanimity. 
If  anything  arises  to  disturb  the  composure,  the 
promptitude  with  which  equanimity  is  restored  will 
be  according  to  the  rapidity  of  the  emanation  of  the 
"  noxious  "  principle  from  the  tissues,  as  I  will  ex- 
Dlain  further  on. 


THE   l^ATURE    OF   DISEASE. 

(1881.) 

IN  many  cases,  of  the  most  various  description,  the 
cause  of  the  disease  will  be  found  in  the  non- 
sanatory  clothing  and  bedding,  rather  than  in  the 
body  of  the  patient.  It  is  an  important  fact  that 
not  only  the  so-called  infectious  diseases,  that  origi- 
nate through  germs,  may  be  conveyed  in  the  cloth- 


50  TJte  Nature  of  Disease. 

ing,  but  also  diseases  with  whicli  germs  certainly 
have  nothing  to  do. 

Clearly,  when  the  cause  of  the  disease  is  in  the 
clothing  or  bedding,  all  medical  treatment  applied  to 
the  body  only,  is  useless.  There  are  cases  which 
often  seem  desperate  of  cure;  such  as,  to  mention  the 
simplest  of  them,  the  numerous  nervous  complaints, 
especially  of  women;  the  not  less  numerous  diseases 
of  the  digestive  organs,  and  chronic  catarrh  in  the 
breathing  passages.  The  cures,  which  the  adoption 
of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  works  in  these  dis- 
orders, are  sometimes  called  miraculous;  but  the  only 
matter  for  astonishment  is  that  these  simple  diseases 
have  hitherto  defied  successful  treatment. 

A  consideration  of  great  practical  importance,  is 
that  the  faculty  of  conveying  the  whole  class  of 
diseases  in  question,  extends  even  to  subsidiary  arti- 
cles of  clothing,  such  as  handkerchiefs,  chemisettes, 
aprons,  etc.,  when  the  material  is  of  vegetable  fibre. 

In  assisting  my  readers  to  a  deeper  insight  into  the 
nature  of  these  disease-poisons,  and  to  the  practic- 
ability of  their  being  conveyed  through  the  clothing, 
I  assume  their  acquaintance  with  what  I  have  else- 
where pointed  out.  Vegetable  fibre  has  the  faculty 
of  retaining  disease-poisons,  which,  however,  do  not 
remain  in  animal  wool.  I  also  assume  that  my  read- 
ers remember  my  distinction  between  the  "  noxious," 
malodorous  exhalations  of  the  body  which  vegetable 
fibres  absorb,  and  the  "  salutarj-,"  fragrant  exhala- 
tions which  animal  wool  attracts. 

In  order  to  understand  the  nature  of  disease,  it  will 
be  well  to  inquire,  In  what  does  poison  consist?  The 
answer  is,  that  every  thinr/,  even  the  salt  which  we 


Tlie  Nature  of  Disease.  51 

consume  daily,  and  which  is  an  important  constituent 
of  our  bodies,  can  become  poisonous.  The  question 
whether  any  substance  is  a  poison  or  not,  is  simply 
one  of  quantity  or  concentration  ;  and  the  reason 
why  certain  substances  are  especially  termed  "poi- 
son," is  that  such  are  poisonous  in  very  small,  while 
others  are  only  so  in  very  large,  quantities. 

Whatever  the  nature  of  this  poisonous  action,  the 
ultimate  consequence  is,  of  course,  the  destruction  of 
life;  but  the  practical  question  is,  how  to  tell  whether 
a  substance,  if  its  action  be  unimpeded,  will  destroy 
life;  in  other  words,  what  are  the  first  effects  of  a 
poison  ? 

The  final  effect  of  poison  is  death;  le.,  cessation  of 
the  voluntary  (as  well  as  of  involuntary)  movements. 
The  first  effect  is  the  retardation  of  the  voluntary 
movements  in  the  body.  Therefore,  in  order  to 
know  whether  any  thing  is  poisonous,  it  is  sufficient 
to  measure  the  rapidity  of  the  simplest  accustomed 
voluntary  movement  (for  instance,  the  time  required 
to  effect  a  pressure  with  the  finger  several  times  in 
succession)  at  regular  intervals  of  time;  then  the 
odor  of  the  object  under  examination  should  be  in- 
haled during  ten  to  fifteen  minutes,  measuring  mean- 
while the  rapidity  of  the  finger-pressure  every  ten 
seconds.  If  the  substance  be  a  poison,  the  rapidity 
of  the  movement,  either  immediately,  or  after  a  pre- 
liminary increase  of  short  duration,  diminishes  with  a 
quickness  in  proportion  to  the  dangerous  nature  of 
the  poison. 

ISTow  arises  another  question : 

There  is  no  doubt  that  wild  animals  distinguish 
things  which  are  poisonous  from  those  which  are  not, 


52  The  Nature  of  Disease. 

without  the  aid  of  a  nerve-measure.     How  do  they 
accomplish   this  ?     By   smell.     Here   I   must   agaiu. 
diverge. 

If  from  any  substance  soluble  in  water  or  spirits 
of  wine,  a  series  of  solutions  of  different  degrees  of 
dilution  be  prepared,  the  test  of  the  nerve-measure 
will  show  that  some  one  of  these  solutions  leaves  the 
rapidity  of  the  finger-measure  unaffected.  This  may 
be  termed  an  "  indifferent  "  concentration.  All  more 
concentrated  solutions,  in  proportion  as  they  are  more 
strongly  concentrated,  protract  the  finger-pressure,, 
thus  showing  a  poisonous  effect.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  more  diluted  solutions,  in  proportion  to  their 
dilution,  quicken  the  finger-pressure  ;  this  may  be 
described  as  an  animating  effect,  which  may  be  en- 
hanced to  a  remarkable  extent  by  continued  diluting. 

If  the  odor  of  each  of  these  solutions  be  inhaled, 
that  of  the  "  indifferent "  concentration  will  be  found 
effectless  one  way  or  the  other  ;  the  odor  of  the 
stronger  concentrations,  however,  will  be  more  or 
less  repulsive,  while  the  odor  of  the  weaker  prepara- 
tions will  be  pleasant  and  fresh  in  proportion  to  the 
degree  to  which  they  are  diluted. 

Or  another  experiment  may  be  tried.  If  a  pleasant 
odor  be  concentrated,  as  by  filling  a  room  with 
strongly-scented  flowers,  before  long  the  perfume 
will  become  repulsive.  For  this  reason,  flowers 
should  not  be  kept  in  bedrooms.  The  sleeping  per- 
son not  only  absorbs  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  but  also 
its  odorous  elements;  and  the  juices  of  the  body  will 
thus  gradually  be  permeated  by  flower-perfume  until 
a  poisonous  degree  of  concentration  is  reached. 

If,  on    the  other  han<l,  a  series  of  solutions  of  a. 


The  JSfature  of  Disease.  "53 

malodorous  substance,  of  different  degrees  of  concen- 
tration, be  prepared,  the  odor  of  the  strongly-con- 
centrated solutions  is  offensive;  then  comes  the  solu- 
tion of  the  "  indifferent "  stage,  while  the  weaker 
solutions  have  a  pleasant  odor,  which  becomes  finer 
as  they  are  more  diluted.  Makers  of  perfumery  are 
well  acquainted  with  this  fact,  and  manufacture  the 
finest  perfumes  from  most  repulsive  material.  Again, 
the  odor  of  a  substance  may,  when  first  inhaled,  be 
fragrant,  and  yet  be  poisonous — for  instance,  spurge- 
olive  (Daphne  rnezereum)  or  prussic  acid.  The  true 
effect,  however,  is  felt  if  the  inhalation  of  the  odor 
be  continued.  Suddenly  the  fragrant  impression  is 
reversed,  the  odor  becomes  repulsive,  and  we  know 
that  the  thing  is  poisonous.  Observe  the  behavior  of 
animals.  If  some  unknown  article  of  food  be  thrown 
to  them,  it  is  long  and  thoroughly  smelled,  exactly  as 
I  proceed  when  testing  with  my  nerve  measure. 
Only  when,  after  prolonged  inhalation,  the  odor  re- 
mains pleasant,  will  animals  venture  to  eat  unknown 
things;  and,  if  the  odor  changes,  the  thing  is  rejected. 
Therefore,  an  animal  can  be  induced  to  take  poison 
only  when  it  is  concealed  in  something  with  which  it 
is  familiar,  thus  being  misled  as  to  the  necessity  of 
testing  it;  or  when  the  poison  is  so  wrapped  up  or 
disguised  that  it  cannot  be  smelled. 

In  short,  poison  is  whatever  has  a  repulsive  odor, 
and  all  volatile  matters  smell  repulsively  as  soon  as, 
by  inhaling  them,  their  concentration  in  the  juices  of 
the  body,  exceeds  a  certain  intensity. 

With  these  preliminary  remarks,  I  will  now  ad- 
dress myself  to  the  solution  of  the  question  with 
which  I  started.     The  human   body  incessantly  pro- 


54  The  Nature  of  Disease. 

duces  volatile  matters  which  may  be  smelled.  These 
odorous  matters  are  not  of  themselves  poisons,  but 
normal,  constituent  parts,  or  products,  of  the  body, 
which,  indeed,  when  sufficiently  diluted,  may,  from 
their  animating  effect,  be  very  useful  constituents 
of  the  bodily  juices.  They,  however,  become  poison- 
ous as  soon  as  the  degree  of  their  concentration  in 
the  bodily  juices  exceeds  a  certain  limit.  Unsana- 
tory  clothing  and  bedding  are  quite  enough  to  pro- 
duce this  degree  of  concentration,  particularly  in 
badly-ventilated  rooms. 

Tlie  lungs  and  the  skin  are  constantly  exhaling 
these  odorous  matters,  which  are  readily  absorbed  by 
clothing  ma«.\e  from  material  of  vegetable  fibre.  The 
astonishing  quantity  of  repulsive  odor  which  such 
clothing  will  take  up,  may  be  shown  by  removing  the 
cotton  padding  from  under  the  armpit  of  a  coat 
which  has  long  been  worn,  slightly  wetting  it,  and 
passing  a  hot  iron  over  it. 

If  the  odorous  matters  were  firmly  fixed  in  these 
textures,  they  would  be  less  dangerous,  but  every 
minute  increase  in  temperature,  and  especially  every 
moistening  of  the  material,  causes  them  to  evaporate. 

A  portion  rises  with  the  warmth  of  the  body,  and 
is  again  inhaled,  and  another  portion  mixes  with  the 
air  under  the  clothes,  interfering  with  the  exhaling 
action  of  the  skin.  Thus  the  concentration  of  these 
odors  in  the  juices  of  the  body  reaches  a  point  at 
which  they  are  poisonous  and  dangerous. 

I  must  here  refer  to  the  tendency  of  clothes  to  ab- 
sorb and  retain  odorous  matters. 

If,  at  night,  water  be  j)laced  in  a  dish  or  bottle  in 
a   closed,   occupied    sleeping-room,    the    water   next 


The  Nature  of  Disease.  55 

morning  will  taste  and  smell  abominably.  The  popu- 
lar explanation,  that  the  water  has  lost  something,  is 
wrong.  The  water  has  become  permeated  with  the 
poisonous  exhalations  in  the  room.  This  not  only 
happens  to  water  but  also  to  all  vegetable  fibre  in  the 
room.  The  linen  or  cotton  shirt,  lying  on  a  chair 
near  the  bed,  absorbs  these  odors  throughout  the 
night  precisely  as  the  water  does;  and  the  same 
thing  goes  on  in  the  drawers  and  cupboards  in  which 
the  so-called  clean  linen  is  lying.  It  is  generally 
thought  that  when  linen  has  been  washed,  it  must  be 
clean;  but  scarcely  has  the  linen,  by  washing  and 
wringing,  been  made  to  yield  u])  a  part  (by  no  means 
the  whole)  of  the  odors  it  has  absorbed,  and  is  neatly 
laid  away,  than  it  begins  again,  if  placed  in  an  occu- 
pied room,  to  absorb  a  fresh  stock  of  poison,  before 
it  is  worn.  Let  any  one  who  doubts  this,  take  a  linen 
or  cotton  garment,  which,  after  being  washed,  has 
thus  been  lying  by  for  some  time,  or  a  linen  or  cotton 
curtain  with  which  no  one  has  come  in  contact;  and 
he  will  find,  if  the  garment  or  curtain  be  wetted  and 
ironed,  that  an  offensive  odor  will  be  emitted  from 
it.  The  tendency  of  a  substance  to  become  more 
volatile  in  proportion  to  the  warmth  of  the  air,  and 
inversely,  to  be  precipitated  or  deposited  somewhere 
when  the  atmosphere  is  colder,  is  partly  the  reason 
w^hy  the  summer  is  a  healthier  season  than  the  win- 
ter. In  summer  the  odorous  matters  are  dissipated 
in  the  air,  where  they  are  destroyed  by  electricity,  or 
are  washed  by  the  rain  into  the  ground,  which  readily 
absorbs  them,  or  are  consumed  by  the  leaves  of 
plants.  In  winter,  on  the  other  hand,  these  odorous 
matters  sink,  especially  at  night,  when  the  x'oom  is 


56  TJie  Nature  of  Disease. 

cold,  into  all  materials  of  vegetable  fibre,  such  as 
linen  or  cotton  clothing,  etc.  A  shirt,  which  was  not 
so  permeated  with  "  noxious  "  exhalations  as  to  have 
been  unwholesome,  when  its  wearer  took  it  off  in  the 
evening,  may  attain  this  degree  during  the  night,  and 
when  it  is  afterwards  warmed  upon  the  body,  tlie 
mischief  is  let  loose. 

Conversel}^,  the  bed  may,  as  long  as  it  is  occupied, 
be  free  from  the  above-named  concentration,  but  the 
air  may  be  full  of  odorous  matter,  which,  if  the  win- 
dow be  not  opened  immediately  on  rising,  will  be  de- 
posited like  unwholesome  dew  upon  the  materials 
of  vegetable  fibre  in  the  bed,  in  proportion  as  the 
latter  cools.  When  the  bed  is  next  warmed  by  the 
body  of  its  occupant,  the  mischief  is  again  let  loose. 

I  would  ask  my  German-lady  readers  what  they 
suppose  hapi:)ens  when  the  beds  are  placed  daily, 
during  summer,  in  the  sun,  as  is  the  practice  in  Ger- 
many ?  If  they  do  not  know,  I  beg  of  them  to  use 
their  noses,  and  they  will  find  that  the  doubtful — if 
not  offensive — smelling  bedding  has  acquired,  in  the 
sunshine,  a  fresh,  pleasant  smell;  and  they  will  also 
find  that  the  next  night's  sleep  will  be  a  most  refresh- 
ing one.  The  sun,  by  expelling  part  of  the  odorous 
matter,  has  converted  or  diluted  the  poisonous  degree 
of  concentration,  into  a  degree  that  is  not  poisonous, 
and  the  effluvia  is  rendered  fragrant.  The  fragrance, 
however,  is  of  short  duration,  as  the  old  degree  of 
concentration  is  soon  reached  again.  But  this  is  not 
HO  serious  a  matter  at  this  season,  (summer,)  as  the 
l)edding  can  be  again  placed  in  the  sun;  but  this 
cannot  be  so  conveniently  done  in  winter.  Conse- 
(|ucntly,  in  winter,  when  the  sparrow  on  the  roof  is 


The  Crisis  of  Disease.  57 

as  healthy  as  in  summer,  many  human  beings,  how- 
ever cleanly,  are,  through  the  evil  emanations  from 
their  beds,  chilly,  sickly,  troubled  with  cough,  head- 
ache, vapors,  palpitation  of  the  heart,  rheumatism, 
and,  perhaps,  worse  complaints  still;  out  of  humor, 
poisoned,  and — poisonous.  The  simple  remedy  is,  to 
throw  awaj^  sheets,  quilts,  counterpanes,  etc.,  to  sleep 
in  and  on  pure  wool  only,  and  to  ventilate  the  room 
by  opening  the  window  before  going  to  bed. 


THE  CRISIS  OF  DISEASE, 

(1881.) 

THE  transition  from  the  ordinary  style  of  dress 
to  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System,  is  some- 
times attended  with  phenomena  which  doctors  des- 
ignate "  critical,"  as  indicating  a  turning  point. 
These  "crises,"  which  may  occur  soon,  or  some  time, 
after  the  change  of  clothing,  running  their  course  in 
a  few  hours,  or  enduring  for  a  longer  period,  and  in- 
volving greater  or  less  disturbance  of  the  general 
health, — have  caused  persons,  that  did  not  under- 
stand them,  to  discard  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Cloth- 
ing, especially  if  the  "  critical "  periods  had  lasted 
any  length  of  time.  In  place  of  the  improvement 
that  was  expected  from  the  adoption  of  the  System, 
people  conceived  that  it  made  them  ill. 

Healthy  persons  who  need  nothing  beyond  the 
elimination  of  superfluous  tissue-water,  find  that  the 
"  crisis,"  as  a  rule,  is  confined  to  one  or  more  copious 
outpourings  of  perspiration,  occurring  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, and  in  a  few  weeks  the  full  benefit  of  the 


58  The  Crisis  of  Disease. 

Sanitary  Woolen  System  is  realized.  But  where 
there  is  a  chronic  disorder — be  it  only  a  constitu- 
tional susceptibility  to  colds  and  chills — the  case  is 
altered,  and  for  the  following  reasons  : 

The  earlier  physicians  believed  that  in  cases  of 
acute  disease  and  chronic  disorders,  some  special, 
*' morbid  matter"  must  be  expelled  before  the  patient 
could  recover.  They  were  familiar  with  the  kind 
of  "  crisis  "  which  heralds  convalescence,  but  is  pre- 
ceded by  exacerbation  of  the  symptoms;  and  they 
termed  the  attendant  secretions,  which,  as  a  rule,  ap- 
pear in  the  form  of  perspiration,  "critical  secretions." 
They  could  not,  however,  exj^lain  more  precisely  the 
nature  of  this  ''  morbid  matter."  The  modern  school 
of  physiology  rejected  this  theory,  or  recognized  it 
only  in  epidemic  diseases,  and  ceased  to  give  the 
same  attention  as  formerly  to  the  "crisis"  of  disease. 

My  researches  confirm  the  earlier  views  of  the  pro- 
fession on  this  point,  and  show  that  the  odor  of  the 
"  morbid  matter "  exhaled  by  the  patient,  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  particular  disease,  thus  admitting 
the  practicability  of  recognizing  a  disease  by  the 
sense  of  smell. 

I  could  say  much  more  on  this  subject,  but  will 
confine  myself  here  to  the  following  remarks. 

As  I  have  frequently  explained,  every  living  crea- 
ture, even  when  healthy,  evolves  "  noxious  "  emana- 
tions from  its  food  and  from  the  decomposition  of 
albumen  in  its  tissues.  If  these  emanations  can  be 
freely  eliminated,  they  do  no  harm,  but  if  their  dis- 
charge from  tlie  body  be  checked,  they  will  accumu- 
late within,  creating  what  medical  men  call  dyscrasia, 
an  ill-balanced  temperament,  or  a  morbid  condition 


The  Crisis  of  Disease.  59 

of  the  constitution,  or  a  bad  condition  of  the  bodily 
juices.  The  same  thing  will  happen  in  an  atmos- 
phere constantly  laden  with  offensive  emanations, 
whether  originating  within  the  body,  or  from  any 
other  source.  The  albumen  of  the  tissues  attracts 
such  emanations,  and  becomes  impregnated  therewith. 

Lack  of  exercise  especially  favors  this  process  of 
absorption,  rendering  sluggish  the  interchange  and 
conversion  of  the  constituents  in  the  body,  the  tissues 
of  which  then  as  readily  take  up  odorous  exhalations, 
as  standing  milk  is  known  to  do. 

A  person  whose  tissues  are  thus  overcharged  with 
"  noxious  "  emanations  may  not  at  the  time  feel  un- 
well, for  the  emanations,  are,  in  a  manner,  chemically 
combined  with  the  albumen  in  the  tissues.  It  is  the 
decomposition  of  albumen,  consequent  on  increased 
activity  of  the  organs,  through  some  stimulating 
cause,  that  liberates  the  '* noxious"  emanations, 
which  then  become  odorous,  and  illness  sets  in. 
The  tendency  to  this  is  accentuated  by  the  effect  of 
the  "  noxious "  emanations  in  rendering  the  tissues 
more  spongy,  increasing  the  quantity  of  water  in 
them,  and  furthering  decomposition. 

The  next  is  a  very  important  point  for  laymen  as 
well  as  doctors,  and  I  beg  my  readers  to  give  it  their 
best  attention. 

According  to  my  observations,  many  ^'noxious" 
odors,  by  direct  action  upon  the  skin,  and  by  pene- 
trating into  the  bodily  juices,  produce  contraction  in 
the  cutaneous  blood-vessels,  and  thereby  excite  a 
sensation  of  cold,  because  the  skin  in  such  cases  re- 
ceives a  smaller  amount  of  blood  heat.  The  same 
will  happen  if,  internally,  a  "noxious,"  volatile  es- 


60  Tlie  Crisis  of  Disease. 

sence  be  set  free.  That  is  the  reason  why  many  ill- 
nesses are  ushered  in  with  a  shivering  fit.  If  this  be 
very  pronounced,  and,  so,  closely  followed  by  the  so- 
called  febrile  fit,  by  way  of  reaction,  the  effect  of  the 
volatile,  odorous  essence  above  mentioned,  is  no  other 
than  the  hitherto  unaccountable,  feverish  shiverino 
But  if  the  reaction  is  delayed,  and  there  be  only  a 
moderate  degree  of  shivering,  the  patient  will  prob- 
ably say  that  he  has  caught  a  cold,  even  when  there 
is  not  the  faintest  trace  of  a  cause  for  the  chill. 
Hence  comes  that  very  general  view  of  chills  as 
prime  causes  of  illness,  and  the  consequent  nervous 
dread  of  catching  cold,  which  has  wrought,  and  is 
still  working,  so  much  mischief. 

To  return  to  the  question  of  the  "crisis."  The 
Sanitary  Woolen  System  has  by  this  time  fully  ap- 
proved itself  as  one  of  the  most  powerful,  if  not, 
indeed,  the  most  powerful,  curative  means  for  dys- 
crasial  habits  of  body;  for  the  reason  that  it  pos- 
sesses the  faculty  of  expelling  the  volatile,  d3''scrasial 
matter  from  the  body. 

What  is  the  inference  ?  A  person  predisposed  to 
take  cold  is  one  whose  dyscrasy  or  "  noxious  "  essence, 
is  characterized  b}'^  a  special  tendency,  whenever  set 
free,  to  induce  a  chill.  If,  by  the  help  of  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  this  odorous  essence  be  suddenly  ex- 
pelled, the  "  crisis  "  will  run  its  course  as  an  apparent 
fever  caused  by  a  cold. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  "  noxious"  ema- 
nations, in  cases  of  dyscrasial  or  distempered  habit  of 
body,  are  greatly  diversified;  and,  consequently,  the 
symptoms  characterizing  these  "  crises  "  must  be  as 
dissimilar  as  arc  the  maladies  themselves. 


The  Crisis  of  Disease.  61 

In  conclusion,  I  may  state  that  although  I  have  now 
been  wearing  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  for  the 
last  two  years  and  a  half,  it  was  not  before  the  past 
winter  that  a  certain  troublesome  irritation  of  the 
skin  between  the  shoulder  blades  quite  disappeared. 
I  had  been  saddled  with  it  for  fully  seven  years,  es- 
pecially during  the  cold  season,  and,  in  fact,  it  showed 
even  two  winters  ago,  although  only  as  a  mild  kind 
of  evanescent  rash.  Therefore,  I  say,  patience  !  The 
"  salutary  "  principle  ^^'hich  clings  to  woolen  garments 
— nature's  healing  power,  or  the  body's  own  medicine 
— will  overcome  everything,  unless  indeed  internal, 
anatomical  changes  have  taken  place.  Care,  how- 
ever, must  be  exercised  that  the  remedial  action  be 
not  interfered  with  by  the  "  noxious  "  principle  of  the 
body,  which  adheres  to  textures  of  vegetable  fibre. 

I  am  satisfied  that  many  who  have  adopted  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System,  and  who  may  read  this,  will 
call  to  mind  their  own  early  experiences.  These  re- 
marks will  clear  up  much  that  may  have  seemed  un- 
acountable;  and  it  will  now  be  better  understood  why 
opinions  of  the  System  may,  at  times,  have  been  dia- 
metrically opposite,  according  to  particular  cases  and 
circumstances. 

When  I  was  first  told  that  a  person  had  tried  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System  and  could  not  stand  it;  I 
was  prone  to  conclude  that  there  must  be  constitutions 
with  which  it  did  not  agree;  although  I  rebelled 
against  such  a  supposition  as  an  obvious  paradox. 
Now,  however,  since  I  better  understand  the  charac- 
ter of  the  "  crisis,"  I  no  longer  entertain  the  slightest 
doubt.  The  Sanitary  Woolen  System  agrees  with 
everybody,  without  exception,  and  the  very  persons 


62  The  Deodorization  of  the  Body. 

whose  bodies  make  the  hardest  fight  against  it  will 
ultimately  derive  the  greatest  benefit  from  it.  The 
struggle  is  proof  that  ''  morbid  matter  "  is  lurking  in 
the  body;  and,  although  for  a  time  this  may  not  cause 
actual  illness,  there  is  a  consciousness  of  imperfect 
health,  which  shows  itself  in  this,  that,  and  the  other 
minor  ailment;  and  sooner  or  later  its  development  is 
attended  with  serious,  perhaps  fatal,  results.  The 
reader  will,  therefore,  readily  perceive  how  a  ''  crisis," 
when  misunderstood,  may  give  rise  to  seeming  contra- 
dictions in  the  minds  of  those  who  claim  to  have 
given  the  System  a  fair  trial. 

THE  DEODORIZATION  OF  THE  BODY. 

(1879.) 

ONE  effect  of  the  adoption  of  the  Sanatory  Wool- 
en Clothing  and  Bedding,  both  in  my  own 
case  and  in  that  of  all  persons  experimented  uj)on,  is 
very  confirmatory  of  my  teaching,  and  is  not  devoid 
of  interest  from  a  practical  point  of  view.  This  effect 
I  may  call  the  deodorization  (or  sweetening)  of  the 
body.  Where  surrounding  conditions  tend  to  check 
evaporation,  the  watery  vapor  given  off  by  the  body 
is  likely  to  be  tainted.  Frequent  ablutions,  and 
change  of  linen,  will  reduce  its  offensiveness,  but  com- 
plete purification  and  deodorization  can  never  be 
effected  unless  by  means  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing  and  Bedding,  and  of  open  bedroom  windows 
at  night. 

The  evils  imputed  to  woolen  underclothing  by  sev- 
eral professional  men — among  whom  I  may  mei.tion 


The  Deodorization  of  the  Ijody.  C3 

the  famous  Hufelaxd — such  as  weakening,  and  irri- 
tation of  the  skin,  are  not  imaginary,  hut  very  real, 
when  cotton  or  linen  shirts' are  loorn  over  icoolen  ma- 
terials; or  when  cotton  or  linen  linings  to  the  waist- 
coats, coats,  etc.,  are  retained;  whereas,  if  nothing  but 
woolen  upperclothing  and  underclothing  be  worn,  all 
grounds  for  such  objections  disappear. 

It  may  serve  as  a  hint  to  other  novices  in  the  San- 
itary Woolen  System,  to  state  that  several  persons 
have  written  to  me,  that  during  the  first  few  days  fol- 
lowing the  putting-on  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Cloth- 
ing, the  skin  gave  off  a  copious  secretion,  described  by 
some  as  noisome,  by  others  as  sticky,  necessitating  a 
frequent  change  of  shirt;  but  that,  very  shortly,  this 
action  ceased,  and  the  shirt  acquired,  and  continued 
to  retain,  the  pleasant  "  salutary  "  odor. 

The  lesson  to  be  learned  by  the  reader  from  these 
cases  is,  not  to  take  alarm  if,  upon  adopting  the  San- 
itary Woolen  System,  he  should,  at  first,  have  an  ex- 
perience like  that  described  above;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, to  regard  it  as  a  sign  of  a  wholesome  change, 
since  the  full  benefit  of  the  System  cannot  be  realized 
till  all  such  morbific  matters,  or  secretions,  shall  be 
expelled  from  the  body. 

Now  1  come  to  another  practical  point.  I  mentioned 
before,  that  water-closets  and  privies  had  long  been 
under  suspicion  of  causing  and  facilitating  the  spread 
of  infection,  and  that  on  this  account,  certain  regula 
tions  had  been  suggested  in  connection  with  the  sub- 
ject of  Disinfection.  It  was  thought  that  the  use  of 
disinfecting  fluids  would  kill  the  living  organisms  of 
infection.  Soon,  however,  it  was  discovered — and  the 
botanist  Naegelt  confirms  the  discovery  in  his  book, 


G4  Tlic  Deodorization  of  the  Body, 

noticed  in  a  j^revious  essay — that  in  most  cases  these 
germs  are  not  killed;  but  that  the  fosse,  pipe,  or  drain 
is  simply  freed  from  offensive  smells;  i.  e.,  "deodor- 
ized "  instead  of  being  disinfected.  This  was,  there- 
fore, accounted  a  useless  proceeding,  as  merely  doing 
away  with  the  unpleasant  impression  produced  upon 
the  nostrils;  and  Professor  Naegeli  holds  the  same 
view,  which,  however,  according  to  my  researches,  is 
wrong.  No  doubt,  the  complete  extermination  of  the 
disease  germs,  by  a  process  of  disinfection,  would  be 
preferable;  but  deodorization  affords  the  very  great 
advantage  of  putting  an  end  to  those  offensive  effluvia, 
the  inhalation  and  collection  of  which  in  the  body, 
predisposes  it  to  take  infection.  The  nose  is  truly 
the  sanitary  sentinel.  We  should  follow  its  warnings, 
and  avoid  every  kind  of  stench;  attacking  the  cause 
with  the  utmost  energy  by  deodorizing,  at  any  rate, 
if  complete  eradication  be  impossible.  Stench  alone 
will  not  cause  illness,  but  protracted  inhalation  of 
tainted  air  induces  a  state  of  body  favorable  to  the 
development  of  disease, — particularly  infectious 
disease. 

Here,  perhaps,  I  should  say  a  few  words  with  refer- 
ence to  a  fact,  confirmed  by  incontestable  statistical 
accounts,  in  apparent  contradiction  to  my  teaching. 
Laborers  and  others  engaged  in  sewer  work,  whose 
occupation  compels  them  to  pass  their  lives  in  an 
atmosphere  lieavily  charged  with  sewer  gases,  enjoy 
almost  perfect  immunity  from  such  epidemic  affec- 
tions as  small-j)0x,  cholera,  t^^phus,  etc.;  but,  m  dis- 
cussing this  point,  I  fear  I  should  need  to  assume  too 
much  familiarity  with  scientific  details  on  the  part  of 
my    readers.     I  shall,   therefore,   be   content   to    say 


The  Deodorization  of  the  Body.  65 

that  the  above  fact  is  not  only  in  accord  with  my 
teachings,  but  it  supplies  another  proof  of  the  posi- 
tion that  the  presence  or  absence  of  certain  odorous 
elements  in  the  bodily  juices,  will  decide  the  question 
as  to  whether  the  body  is,  or  is  not,  susceptible  to 
contagion.  I  will  refer  to  the  fact  only  that  the 
effluvia  arising  from  newly-voided  ejecta,  emit  a 
very  different  odor  from  that  of  sulphureted  hydro- 
gen, etc.,  emanating  from  foul  drains.  The  first- 
named  odors  are  more  dangerous,  because  they  in- 
duce liability  to  infection;  the  latter,  on  the  contrary, 
as  secretions  of  the  ferment  of  putrescence,  are  analo- 
gous to  the  germs  of  infection  themselves;  and  act, 
when  in  a  higher  state  of  concentration,  as  preserva- 
tives against  the  seeds  of  infection,  upon  the  same 
principle  that  inoculation  with  cow-pox  matter,  pro- 
tects against  infection  from  the  congeneric  germs  of 
human  small-pox. 

The  power  to  resist  the  influences  of  temperature, 
I  formerly  attributed  entirely  to  the  elimination  of 
the  superfluous  tissue- water;  but  my  further  investi- 
gations have  convinced  me  that  the  deodorization  of 
the  body  has  also  a  share  in  it.  My  conclusion  rests, 
among  other  grounds,  upon  the  phenomena  observed, 
in  the  pursuit  of  my  researches,  on  the  other  section 
of  the  causes  of  disease — that  is  to  say,  on  matter  by 
w^hich  infection  is  conveyed.  I  have  not  made  ex- 
haustive experiments  specially  directed  to  the  eluci- 
dation of  this  question ;  yet  what  has  come  under  my 
notice,  incidentally,  is  instructive,  and  must,  as  I 
judge,  prove  interesting  to  others. 

The  reader  is  aware  that  the  so-called  catarrh  of 
the  respiratory  organs,  (particularly  in  the  form  of 


0(5  Tilt  TJeodorizatiou  of  the  Body. 

colds  and  coughs,)  is  one  of  the  complaints  most  fre- 
quently and  easily  communicated.  Formerly  tlie 
members  of  my  family  and  myself  frequently  con- 
tracted catarrh.  A  child  would  bring  it  home  and 
pass  it  on  to  the  rest;  or  visitors,  suffering  from  colds 
and  coughs,  would  convey  the  contagion  by  means  of 
the  customary  embrace.  This  winter,  however,  al- 
though opportunities  were  not  wanting,  no  one  in 
the  house  was  infected;  but  I  observed,  more  than 
once,  that,  after  being  with  a  person  suffering  from 
cold,  all  the  symptoms  of  an  on  coming  cold  and 
cough  would  become  manifest.  There  ensued  sneez- 
ings and  fits  of  coughing,  but  instead  of  the  usual 
preliminary  feverish  stage  and  dry  throat,  succeeded 
by  much  watery  mucus,  subsequently  changing  to 
thick  phlegm, — expectoration  set  in  at  once,  and  the 
matter  was  ended. 

On  one  occasion  one  of  my  children  came  home 
from  school  complaining  of  indisposition  and  faint- 
ness,  which  he  had  first  felt  when  in  school.  While  a 
warm  drink  was  preparing  for  him,  the  boy  vomited, 
and  -an  hour  later  he  was  out  of  doors  again.  The 
matter  brought  up  did  not  show  that  the  child  had 
eaten  anything  calculated  to  disagree  with  him. 

It  has  happened  more  than  once  tliat,  in  the  even- 
ing, a  member  of  the  family  would  exhibit  such 
symptoms  of  serious  illness  as  feverishness,  headache, 
dry,  hot  skin,  and  languor.  But  nothing  was  done 
beyond  administering  a  glass  of  strongly-sugared 
water;  and  no  real  illness  broke  out,  the  patient  in- 
variably recovering  by  the  next  da3^ 

That  a  capacity  for  resisting  infection  has  been 
acc^uired,  is  confirmed  by  the  following  observations 


The  Deodorization  of  the  Body,  67 

which  I  have  made.  In  former  years  my  children, 
especially  during  the  first  year  of  school  attendance, 
brought  home  every  kind  of  infectious  disease  that 
made  its  appearance  in  the  school.  My  youngest 
girl  went  to  school  for  the  first  time  this  winter. 
Opportunities  to  catch  various  complaints  have 
been  plentiful;  for,  more  than  a  third  of  the  children 
in  her  class  were  away  at  one  time  on  account  of 
illness.  My  little  one,  however,  brought  home  no 
sickness,  and  went  through  the  winter,  like  all  the 
rest  of  us,  exempt  from  any  ailment.  Further,  the 
two  children  of  a  neighboring  acquaintance,  Avho 
are  constant  companions  of  my  two  little  ones,  have 
had  the  whooping-cough  since  the  commencement  of 
the  winter;  and  that  is  well  known  to  be  catching. 
As  might  be  supposed,  intercourse  between  them  was 
consequently  restricted;  but,  to  my  certain  knowl- 
edge, they  met  quite  frequently  enough  to  communi- 
cate the  complaint  ;  yet,  although  my  children  had 
never  had  the  whooping-cough,  they  did  not  catch  it 
from  their  playmates.  Of  course,  these  observations, 
by  themselves,  would  not  form  the  basis  of  any 
decisive  opinion;  but,  taken  in  connection  with  all 
my  other  experiences,  and  the  general  conditions  of 
infection;  they  possess,  to  my  mind,  suflSciently  con- 
clusive evidence  to  warrant  the  following  succinct 
explanation  of  the  change  which  is  effected  in  the 
body  by  the  agency  of  deodorization. 

The  malodorous  humors  within  the  body  act  upon 
the  nervous  apparatus  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of 
dust  on  the  machinery  of  a  timepiece,  retarding  its 
motion  and  rendering  it  irregular.  The  immunity 
of  the  body  from  extraneous  influences,  whether  of 


G8  The  Beodorization  of  the  Body. 

heat,  cold,  or  infection,  will  depend  upon  the  prompt 
intervention  of  that  which  the  doctors  term  "  re- 
action," and  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  nerves.  This 
is  the  force,  provided  it  operate  betimes,  that  should 
avert  illness  in  the  shape  of  cold,  inflammatory 
action,  or  infection  ;  while,  if  the  reaction  be  too 
long  delayed,  the  mischief  is  done. 

As  regards  infection:  the  absence,  as  previously 
explained,  of  the  particular  odorous  elements  favor- 
able to  the  propagation  of  the  germs,  will  tend  to 
prevent  them  from  effecting  a  s])eedy  lodgement. 
Thus,  the  reaction  of  the  hardened  body,  casts  out 
the  agent  of  cough  and  catarrh  infection,  by  means 
of  a  promjit  secretion  of  mucus,  ere  it  can  secure  a 
footing.  Anything  injurious  w^hich  may  enter  the 
stomach,  is  removed  by  immediate  vomiting.  Ex- 
posure to  cold,  at  once  causes  a  more  active  trans- 
mission of  blood  to  the  integumentary  vessels,  with 
the  result  of  kindling  warmth  in  the  skin;  while,  in 
an  overheated  room,  or  in  front  of  a  blazing  fire,  the 
blood-supply  in  the  skin  is  forthwith  diminished, 
thus  preventing  the  disagreeable  sensation  of  undue 
warmth. 

This  view  is  confirmed  by  other  observations  on 
the  members  of  my  own  family.  Stomach,  heart, 
lungs,  and  brain  all  manifest  greater  vitality.  My 
wife  and  m3^self,  until  lately,  had  very  deficient  diges- 
tion, and  we  needed  to  use  much  caution  in  the  mat- 
ter of  indigestible  dishes;  now,  on  the  contrary,  we 
can  venture  upon  all  sorts  of  food  without  the  slight- 
est inconvenience.  The  heart-beats  in  my  own  case 
have  long  been  too  quick,  numbering  eighty-four  per 
minute,  when  I  was  perfectly  still;  but,  for  the  last 


Sanatory  Woolen   Clothing.  69 

few  months,  I  reckon  seventy-five  per  minute — the 
normal  number  of  beats  for  a  man  of  my  age — and, 
under  the  strain  of  exertion,  no  such  increase  takes 
place  as  occurred  before. 

Last  year  my  repeated  attempts  at  gardening  mis- 
carried, owing  to  rapid  heating  and  perspiring,  and 
fatigue  in  the  arms;  but  now,  although  I  had  no 
practice  through  the  past  winter,  I  can  do  several 
hours'  digging  and  hoeing  without  strain.  In  short, 
each  bodily  function  is  freed  from  influences  which 
previously  hampered  its  action. 


SANATORY  WOOLEIsr  CLOTHING. 

(1879.) 

THE  body  has  the  peculiar  property  of  maintain- 
ing its  possession  of  fat,  tissu^-waterj  and 
other  fluids  or  humors.  It  takes  advantage  of  every 
careless  movement,  every  opportunity,  however  ap- 
parently insignificant,  to  repossess  itself  of  that 
which  has  been  wrested  from  it.  This  is  a  familiar 
experience  as  regards  fat.  Corpulent  persons,  wont 
to  resort  to  the  waters  of  Carl«bad,  or  to  some  other 
kind  of  anti-fat  regimen,  no  doul)t  lose  a  few  pounds 
on  every  occasion;  but  as  soon  as  the  special  treat- 
ment is  relinquished  the  fat  will  reappear.  I  ex- 
perienced this  in  my  own  person  when  I  began  my 
researches  on  the  subject  of  health-culture.  Every 
powerful  remedy  adopted  produced  a  slight  diminu- 
tion in  the  measurement  round  the  body,  but  as  soon 
as  the  special  treatment  was  suspended,  my  former 
size   returned.     At   present,   however,   I   am    really 


70  Sanatory  Woolen    Clothing, 

master  of  the  situation.  In  a  few  months  my  meas- 
urement round  the  body  permanently  receded  to  the 
extent  of  about  5^  inches,  while  the  weight  per  liter- 
volume  of  body  bulk,  rose  by  15  grams;  (or  1^  per 
cent. ;)  and  my  flesh,  in  point  of  firmness  and  hard- 
ness, resembles  that  of  the  most  seasoned  soldier. 
Nor  did  it  require  any  special  effort  to  bring  this 
about;  for  the  entire  change,  including  the  elimina- 
tion of  superfluous  water  and  the  liberated  emana- 
tions from  the  tissues,  has  been  accomplished  by  the 
adoption  of  a  suitable  change  in  the  system  of  clothing, 
combined  with  thorough  ventilation  of  the  living- 
rooms  and  sleeping-rooms,  and  with — in  my  own 
special  case,  where  the  elimination  of  fat  presented 
the  chief  difiiculty — four  pedestrian  tours,  each  last- 
ing several  days. 

As  regards  the  clothing,  several  points  require  con- 
sideration. First,  comes  the  material  of  which  it  is 
made.  I  have  already  shown  that  animal  wool  meets 
the  requirements  of  health-culture  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  fabrics  made  of  vegetable  fibre,  (such  as 
linen,  hemp  and  cotton,)  in  consequence  of  the  much 
greater  impermeability  of  the  latter  to  watery  vapor. 
The  German  proverb,  describing  a  healthy,  comfort- 
able man  as  one  "  sitting  in  the  wool,"  goes  to  show 
that  popular  usage  is  in  this  particular  in  advance  of 
science;  and  it  is  indeed  hard  to  understand  how 
linen  and  cotton  should,  have  so  long  and  so  exten- 
sively held  their  ground  as  clothing  materials. 

The  rate  at  whicli  this  question  has  been  maturing 
within  tlio  last  decade,  is  instructive,  and  inii)ortant 
to  the  riglit  apprcliension  of  the  practical  deductions 
and  suggestions  which  I  have  to  make. 


Sanatory  Woolen   Clothing.  Tl 

My  own  earliest  practical  application  of  wool  was, 
to  advise  persons  subject  to  colds  to  wear  a  strip  of 
flannel  next  to  the  skin,  from  the  chest  down  to  the 
stomach;  and  some  benefit  was  certainly  derived  from 
the  experiment.  ISText  followed  the  use  of  under- 
vests,  and  finally  of  woolen  shirts,  worn  under  white 
shirts.  This  was  an  error.  The  body  was  indeed 
protected  from  cold,  but  at  the  same  time  enervated; 
and  the  woolen  shirt,  placed  between  the  outer  white 
shirt  and  the  bodj^,  soon  became  moist  with  perspira- 
tion, and  disagreeable.  For  this  reason  many  doctors 
pronounced  against  the  use  of  woolen  shirts;  but 
this  was  again  an  error.  Not  the  woolen  shirt,  but 
the  overlying  white  shirt  produced  the  evil;  and  it 
should  have  been  discarded.  I  recognized  this  fact 
in  the  year  1868,  and  at  once  made  my  opinion 
known.  Then  came  the  Franco-German  War,  1870- 
71,  and  the  experience  gained  in  it  opened  up  a  wide 
career  for  the  woolen  shirt,  although  the  mistake  of 
wearing  a  white  shirt  over  it  was  still  made.  I  now 
find,  however,  that  the  evil  is  not  due  to  the  linen 
shirt  alone, — that  is  to  say,  the  mere  discarding  of 
the  linen  shirt  from  over  the  woolen  undershirt,  is  not 
sufiicient, — ^but  that  all  linen  and  cotton  material  in 
the  clothing,  not  excepting  that  used  for  lining  and 
stiffening  coats,  etc.,  and  for  pockets  of  coats  and 
trousers,  is  pernicious  to  health.  The  clothing  should 
be  made  throughout  of  pure,  animal  wool.  How 
astonishingly  susceptible  the  body  is  to  the  benefits 
of  this,  I  have  had  many  opportunities  to  observe  in 
my  own  social  and  family  circle. 

When  I  came  to  rightly  understand  the  matter,  I 
began  the  correction  by  substituting  woolen  for  the 


72  Sanatory  Woolen    Clotldng. 

linen  or  cotton  linings.  This  could  not  be  effected 
all  at  once,  and  some  coats  that  were  held  not  to  be 
worth  the  extra  expense,  were  to  be  worn  out  to  the 
end  with  the  old  lining.  However,  if  one  of  us  after 
wearing  an  altered  garment  for  any  considerable 
length  of  time,  put  on  one  not  altered,  he  immediately 
experienced,  with  more  or  less  distinctness,  that  feel- 
ing of  uneasiness  which  arises  from  incomplete  evap- 
oration of  the  "  noxious  "  emanations.  This  would 
pass  away,  but  the  general  condition  of  the  body 
changed  for  the  worse.  The  mood  was  less  equable, 
and  the  tendency  to  take  cold  was  greater.  These 
symptoms  disappeared  when  the  coat,  made  entirely 
of  wool,  was  resumed. 

Similar  experiments  were  instituted  so  frequently, 
and  were  so  invariably  followed  by  like  results,  that 
all  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  my  researches,  was  re- 
moved. My  readers  can  test  the  matter  for  them- 
selves. 

The  material,  however,  is  not  the  sole  considera- 
tion; the  cut  of  the  clothing  must  also  be  taken  into 
account.  I  may  state  generally,  first,  that  the  cloth- 
ing will  be  the  better  for  fitting  quite  tightly,  so  as 
to  allow  the  least  possible  movement  of  air  between 
tlie  clothes  and  the  body;  and,  secondly'-;  that  it 
should  be  twice  as  thick  along  the  middle  line  of  the 
trunk,  from  neck  to  abdomen,  as  at  the  sides  or 
back. 

Among  the  various  kinds  of  coats  now  generally 
worn  by  men,  all  such  as  cannot  be  made  to  close 
right  up  to  the  neck,  and  to  fit  compactly  to  the 
figure,  should  be  laid  aside  as  wholly  unsanatory.  An 
examination  of  the  interior  of  an  old  coat,  will  reveal 


Sanatory   Woolen   Clothing.  73 

an  astounding  quantity  of  rubbish  secreted  under  the 
lining  for  purposes  of  padding,  stiffening,  etc.  This 
becomes  saturated  with  the  malodorous,  "noxious" 
emanations  of  the  body,  which  freely  evaporate  under 
the  influence  of  heat  or  moisture. 

I  should  now  like  to  say  a  word  on  women's  dress, 
but  I  approach  the  subject  with  a  certain  degree  of 
diffidence;  for,  with  women,  habit  and  prejudice  are 
even  more  potent  than  with  men;  and  I  have  to  de- 
clare war  against  such  cherished  finery  as  silk  dresses, 
white  petticoats,  (often  starched  so  as  to  make  them 
thoroughly  impermeable,)  linen  stays,  cotton  or  silk 
stockings,  and  white,  starched  dresses,  which  inclose 
the  whole  body  like  a  glass  cover.  Then,  again,  wo- 
men are  so  fond  of  their  store  of  linen;  take  such  a 
delight  in  the  diversion  afforded  by  interminable 
washings,  and  ironings,  and  starchings,  that  I  fear 
they  will  condemn  me  as  a  disturber  of  domestic 
peace,  as  one  bent  upon  creating  a  cheerless  waste  in 
the  laundry  and  j)ress-room.  Yet,  seeing  that  my 
own  wife  has  not  only  become  reconciled  to  the  new 
order  of  things,  but  that  she  declares  she  would  not 
willingly  revert  to  the  status  quo  ante,  I  will  venture 
to  proceed.  Chemise,  stockings,  drawers,  petticoats, 
and  stays  should  all  be  made  of  pure,  animal  w^ool. 
These,  with  a  dress  of  pure  woolen  stuff,  closing  well 
round  the  throat,  and  having  a  double  woolen  lining 
at  the  chest  and  downwards,  should  be  the  winter 
and  summer  wear  of  women,  who  would  then  partici- 
pate in  all  the  advantages  which  I  have  described, 
and  of  which  they  more  than  men,  stand  in  need. 


74  Undervests. 

UNDERVESTS. 

(1878.)  * 

I  AM  asked  to  express  my  opinion  of  the  well- 
known  network  undervests,  because  it  appears 
that  in  many  quarters  these  undervests  are  highly 
spoken  of,  and  are  recommended  as  preferable  to  the 
Sanatory  AVoolen  shirt. 

The  two  articles  of  clothing  can  hardly  be  com- 
pared. The  network  undervests  are  intended  to 
be  used  only  as  undervests,  and  their  action  will 
greatly  depend  upon  the  material  of  the  shirt  which 
is  worn  over  them;  whereas  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
shirts  should  be  used  alone,  and  this  important  dif- 
ference must  be  taken  into  account  in  pronouncing 
judgmemt. 

The  case  stands  thus  : 

If  a  linen  or  cotton  shirt  be  worn  with  an  under- 
vest,  the  network  is  preferable  to  a  flannel  undervest. 
But  if  it  be  asked  whether  linen  or  cotton  shirts, 
with  the  network  underneath,  should  be  worn,  or  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  shirt  hy  itself,  without  other  outer 
covering  than  the  coat  ;  unquestionably  the  decision 
must  be  given  in  favor  of  the  latter  arrangement. 

This  opinion  is  founded  upon  a  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  services  which  the  clothing  should  render 
to  the  body.  First;  it  is  required  to  keep  the  skin 
uniformly  warm;  secondly;  it  should  offer  a  free 
outlet  to  cutaneous  exhalation,  which  mainly  consists 
of  watery  vapor;  thirdly;  it  should  gently  titillate 
and  rub  the  skin,  in  order  to  maintain  a  constant 
and  ami)le  blood  supply;  fourthly;  it  should  assist, 


Undervests.  75 

instead  of  hindering,  the  self- cleansing  process  of  the 
skin,  which  consists  in  the  shedding  of  the  outer 
cuticle. 

We  will  now  inquire  how  far  the  methods  of  cloth- 
ing in  question,  answer  to  these  requirements. 

1.  Should  a  network  or  flannel  undervest  be  worn 
underneath  a  linen  or  cotton  shirt  ?  As  regards  the 
first  requirement,  (the  maintenance  of  uniform 
warmth,)  there  is  hardly  any  difference;  but  as  to  the 
second,  (the  escape  of  the  cutaneous  evaporation,) 
the  network  offers  decidedly  the  least  hindrance. 
The  air  under  the  clothing  can  move  outwards  and 
upwards  more  freely  that  when  a  flannel  undervest  is 
worn,  as  not  only  are  the  open  spaces  of  the  net- 
work much  greater  than  the  interstices  of  the  flannel, 
but  they  are  also  too  large  to  become  blocked  by  the 
excretions  from  the  skin.  In  relation  to  the  third 
point,  there  is  no  material  difference,  since  the  knots 
of  the  network  and  the  minute  hairs  of  the  flannel 
supply  the  necessary  stimulus  for  the  skin.  With 
regard  to  the  fourth  requirement,  I  should  say  that 
the  network  is  preferable  to  flannel  undervests,  be- 
cause the  latter  soon  become  sticky  and  greasy  from 
the  above-mentioned  condensation  of  the  cutaneous 
evaporation  into  water,  causing  the  epidermal  scales, 
which,  when  the  skin  is  dry,  scale  off,  or  are  easily 
rubbed  off,  to  adhere  to  the  body. 

2.  Which  is  better,  the  Sanatory  Woolen  shirt 
alone,  or  a  linen  or  cotton  shirt  with  a  network 
undervest?  In  relation  to  the  first  of  the  above- 
named  requirements,  (the  maintenance  of  warmth  of 
the  skin,)  linen  and  cotton  are  objectionable  because 
they  are  much  better  heat-conductors.     As  touching 


76  The  iSanatory  Coat. 

the  second  point,  (and  this  is  the  most  important,) 
the  single  woolen  shirt  deserves  ihe  preference.  It 
is  not  the  network  undervest,  but  the  white  outer 
shirt  which  prevents  the  escape  of  cutaneous  ex- 
halation, on  account  of  its  close  web  and  of  the 
vegetable  nature  of  the  fibre;  (and  both  these  ob- 
jections apply  to  linen  with  even  greater  force  than 
to  cotton;)  again,  the  starching  of  the  white  shirt 
front  renders  it  practically  impervious  to  watery 
vapor,  at  the  very  spot  where  the  evaporation  should 
most  easily  proceed — that  is,  at  the  chest  and  neck. 

Hence,  the  superiority  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
shirt,  in  respect  to  the  last  of  the  four  above-named 
requirements,  is  clear.  By  dispensing  with  the  prac- 
tically impervious  white  shirt,  the  cutaneous  vapor  is 
no  longer  condensed,  and  the  skin  keeps  dr}'-,  so  that 
the  scales  readily  come  away;  while  the  countless  fine 
hairy  points  of  the  wool  will  conduce  to  the  cleansing 
of  the  skin  far  more  comprehensively  than  the  much 
fewer  and  too  coarse  knots  or  links  of  the  network. 


THE  SANATORY  COAT. 

(1878.) 

I  DESIRE  particularly  to  emphasize  a  feature  of 
the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing,  which,  in  my 
own  personal  experience,  has  been  truly  astonishing. 
It  was  first  suggested  to  me  by  the  excellent  results 
of  the  application,  in  medical  practice,  of  the  "  ^^^^- 
lin  "  poultice  to  the  front  middle  line  of  the  body, 
from  the  pit  of  the  neck  to  below  the  navel.     The 


The  tSmiatory  Coat.  77 

remarkable  relief  thus  afforded  from  the  blood-pres- 
sure, is  due  to  the  terminal  convergence  in  this 
region,  of  all  the  blood-vessels  in  the  trunk  of  the 
body,  and  to  the  considerable  enlargement  of  their 
areas,  consequent  upon  the  stimulating  action  of  the 
poultice.  This  is  tantamount  to  the  expansion  of  the 
minute  blood-vessels  of  the  entire  surface  of  the 
trunk;  and,  as  upon  their  size  depends  the  measure  of 
evaporation,  it  follows  that  their  expansion  will  cause 
the  skin  to  give  off  watery  vapor  more  freely  and 
rapidly. 

This  shows  that  particular  attention  should  be  paid 
to  the  covering  of  the  middle  line  of  chest  and 
stomach — that  is  to  say,  this  part  should  be  kept 
vmrmer  than  other  portions  of  the  body's  surface;  an 
end  easily  reached  by  means  of  a  double-breasted 
coat,  similar  to  that  worn  in  the  Wiirtemberg  regi- 
ments. The  two  sides  of  the  coat  are  made  to  over- 
lap, thus  ensuring  a  double  covering  to  this  part  of 
the  body.  This  plan  for  maintaining  extra  warmth, 
operates  similarly  to  the  Reglin  poultice.  The  double 
covering  ensures  a  more  abundant  blood-supply  for 
the  entire  skin,  and  the  vapory,  cutaneous  exhalation 
thereby  produced,  can  easily  escape  where  the  coat  is 
only  of  one  thickness.  To  this  end  two  conditions 
are  indispensable. 

1.  The  coat,  be  the  weather  ever  so  warm,  should 
at  all  times  he  Jcept  buttoned  all  the  way  up,  as  pre- 
scribed m  the  Army.  Those  to  whom  this  may  seem 
irksome,  will  find  it  so  only  at  the  very  first.  Every 
soldier  will  bear  witness  to  the  comfort  of  the 
buttoned-up  coat. 

2.  Beneath  the   coat,  neither  waistcoat  nor  white 


78  TliG  ISanatory  Coat. 

shirt    should    be    worn,   but    simply    the    Sanatory 
Woolen  shirt. 

In  short,  I  may  say  that  the  double-breasted 
Sanatory  coat  is  the  most  conducive  to  health,  be- 
cause it  hardens  the  body  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
while  it,  at  the  same  time,  allords  tlie  best  protection. 
Coats  so  constructed  are  certainly  the  most  elegant 
and  most  healthy  wear  for  men. 

Now  I  pass  on  to  my  personal  experience.  I  have 
been  wearing  the  coat  as  above  prescribed  for  the 
last  eight  weeks.*  On  several  previous  occasions  I 
had  striven,  with  no  little  perseverance,  to  cure  my- 
self of  a  debilitated  bodily  condition,  taking  Turkish 
baths,  active  exercise;  carefully  ventilating  my 
rooms,  dieting  myself,  etc.,  but  with  only  partial 
success.  For  instance,  the  measurement  round  the 
stomach,  where  the  size  chiefly  indicates  the  deposit 
of  fat,  shrunk  from  37|  to  35|-  inches  only,  whereas 
the  normal  measurement  should  not  exceed  29 1  inches 
During  the  holidays,  indeed,  I  had  at  times  suc- 
ceeded in  reducing  it  to  34|,  but,  in  spite  of  all,  it 
rose  again  to  35|.  During  the  first  few  weeks  the 
Sanatory  coat  itself  had  little  effect;  but,  when  the 
weather  grew  warm,  the  superfluous  fat  began  to  dis- 
appear, at  so  rapid  a  rate  that  the  measurement  round 
the  stomach  at  this  time  is  only  32^  inches;  while  my 
fitness  for  work  and  my  general  health  have  improved 
in  a  corresponding  degree.  My  pre-conceived  theory 
was  therefore  verified  beyond  my  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectation; for,  having  regard  to  the  ill-success  of 
former  endeavors,  I  did  not  look  for  so  early  results. 

*  Written  in  1878. 


The   German   (jfymnastic  buit.  79 

THE  GERMAN  GYMNASTIC  SUIT. 

(1879.) 

WHEN  I  commenced  my  studies  on  the  subject 
of  health-culture,  some  ten  years  ago,  I 
stumbled  against  a  paradox  which  long  puzzled  me, 
and  of  which  I  have  only  now  found  the  solution.  It 
related  to  the  question  of  the  value  to  be  attached  to 
gymnastic  drill  in  regard  to  health -culture. 

The  more  I  investigated  the  conditions  pertaining 
to  the  maintenance  of  health,  and  the  power  to  with- 
stand morbific  influences,  the  more  strongly  did  I  feel 
convinced  that  gymnastic  drill  must  be  conducive  to 
health.  On  the  other  hand,  I  could  not  shut  my  eyes 
to  the  fact  that  members  of  German  gymnastic  clubs 
or  schools,  when  compared  Avith  other  people,  are  in 
no  w^ay  so  much  more  healthy  as  might  be  expected 
from  the  deductions  of  scientific  investigation. 

People  with  whom  I  have  discussed  the  subject, 
would  call  to  mind  the  case  of  this  or  that  enthusi- 
astic gymnast^  of  their  acquaintance  who  had  died 
prematurely.  Especially  suggestive  were  the  cases  of 
two  well-known  Stuttgart  gymnasts, — one  of  whom 
died  of  pneumonia,  the  other  of  dropsy.  I  am  w^ell 
aware  of  the  fact  that  no  measure  of  health-culture  can 
perpetuate  existence;  but  that  both  these  men  should 
have  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  appeared  not  to  lie 
within  the  natural  order  of  things. 

I  now  know,  or,  to  speak  more  modestly,  I  believe 
that  I  know,  the  reason  of  the  notoriously  ill  success, 
sanitarily  considered,  of  the  German  system  of  gym- 


80  The   German   Gymnastic  Sitit. 

nasties.  The  material  unfortunately  selected  for  the 
regulation,  gymnastic  suit,  not  only  impairs  the  use- 
fulness of  the  tempering  and  hardening  of  the  body, 
which  should  result  from  gymnastic  drill — in  that  it 
renders  the  effect  merely  transient — but  it  is  actually 
a  source  of  danger.  That  gymnasts  do  not  possess 
well-h.irdened  bodies,  may  be  seen  on  any  visit  to  a 
gymnastic  festival. 

Very  exceptional  exertion  should  be  necessary  to 
wring  copious  perspiration  from  a  man  who  is  prop- 
erly "  trained."  The  strain  on  gymnasts  at  festivals, 
where  they  rest  after  each  of  their  brief  exhibitions, 
is  not  of  a  kind  to  cause  perspiration  in  men  in 
thorough  training;  and  yet  how  much  perspiration  is 
shed  at  gymnastic  matches,  notwithstanding  the 
light  costume!  Not  only  are  the  shirts  soaked,  but 
the  outer-clothing  too  is  stained  with  perspiration. 

A  chill  will  readily  strike  inwards  when  the  skin  is 
covered  with  perspiration,  and  it  has  a  no  more  ade- 
quate protection  against  chills  than  that  afforded  by 
a  white  shirt  and  a  duck  jacket  saturated  with  wet. 
Further,  if  we  consider  the  energy  with  which  the 
proper  training  "  form  "  is  counteracted  by  liberal 
potations  of  beer,  we  shall  no  longer  wonder  at  the 
sanitary  faihire  of  gymnastic  drill,  nor  at  the  passive 
resistance  offered  to  it  by  the  majority  of  the  public. 
For  these  reasons  I  am  anxious  to  impress  upon  all 
gymnastic  clubs  and  associations,  that  it  behooves 
them,  both  in  the  interests  of  individual  members 
and  in  that  of  their  otherwise  most  excellent  cause, 
to  remedy  the  evil  pointed  out. 

The  bad  effects  of  faulty  clothing  in  school  gym- 
nastics, will  also  be  apparent  from  the  foregoing. 


The  Atmosphere  of  Schoohooms.  81 

THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  SCHOOLROOMS. 

(ISYQ.) 

ALTHOUGH  the  badness  of  the  atmosphere  in 
overcrowded  schoolrooms  is  a  somewhat  hack- 
neyed subject,  I  purpose  to  treat  of  it  here,  because 
the  results  of  researches  detailed  in  the  previous 
essays,  not  only  clear  up  much  that  has  hitherto  been 
unexplained,  but  also  furnish  us  with  several  practi- 
cal hints. 

The  reader  will  recall  my  explanation  of  the  rela- 
tion of  the  odorous  elements  of  the  body's  exhala- 
tions to  the  emotions  or  mood,  and  the  distinction 
which  I  make  between  the  "  salutary "  and  the 
"  noxious "  principle.  According  to  the  degree  in 
w^hich  the  former  or  the  latter  predominates,  the 
mood  will  be  cheerful  and  equable,  or  depressed  and 
irritable. 

The  effect  of  interfering  vrith  the  free  passage  of 
these  emanations  from  the  body  by  a  wrong  system 
of  clothing,  and  bedding,  has,  so  far,  chiefly  been 
kept  in  view;  but  there  are  other  aspects  of  the  ques- 
tion which  have  not  yet  been  touched  upon. 

First:  the  quantity  of  these  emanations  present  in 
the  blood,  is  increased  when  they  are  inhaled  from 
an  atmosphere  that  is  laden  with  them. 

Second:  the  exhalations  of  the  body  are  entirely 
different,  according  as  the  mood  is  cheerful  or  de- 
pressed. 

When  the  mind  and  the  body  are  at  rest,  the  exha- 
lations principally  consist  of  the  emanations  which 
arise   from   the   food   during    and    after    digestion. 


62  The  Atmosphere  of  Schoolrooms. 

These  belong  to  the  "  noxious  "  class,  and  their  ac- 
cumulation, in  badly-ventilated  bedrooms,  for  in- 
stance, accounts  for  the  depressed,  irritable  mood 
which  is  frequently  experienced  on  waking  from 
sleep.  These  emanations  are  practically  unintermit- 
tent,  but  as  soon  as  the  emotions  are  called  into  play, 
they  are  either  combined  with  the  "salutary,"  or 
with  further  "  noxious  "  emanations,  according  as  the 
mood  is  cheerful  or  the  reverse. 

When  a  teacher  tyrannizes  over  his  pupils,  and  ter- 
rifies them,  the  "noxious"  emanations  evolved  by 
the  digested  food  are  combined  with  those  induced 
by  the  emotion  of  dread;  and  the  atmosphere  of  the 
schoolroom  will  be  much  more  rapidly  and  effectually 
charged  with  "  noxious  "  exhalations  than  they  will 
be  when  the  teacher  handles  the  pupils  so  that  they 
are  not  in  constant  fear  and  dread,  but  in  a  state  of 
equanimity  and  composure. 

The  "  noxious"  emanations  exhaled  by  the  terrified 
children,  are  inhaled  by  all  occupants  of  the  room, 
not,  of  course,  excepting  the  teacher  himself.  This 
condition  of  things  tends  to  render  the  teacher  fever- 
ish and  irritable;  while  the  effect  on  the  children  is 
to  paral^^ze  and  confuse  their  mental  powers,  and  to 
destroy  their  control  over  what  they  do  know; — they 
cannot  think;  they  become  excited,  and  "lose  their 
heads."  Thus,  no  one  escapes  the  evil  influence  of  the 
increasingly  deteriorating  atmosphere,  and  the  school- 
room becomes  a  purgatory  both  for  teacher  and 
pupils.  That,  in  spite  of  all  severity  and  punishment, 
less  will  be  learned  than  if  the  atmosphere  had  been 
pure,  is  self-evident. 

From  this  raav  be  deduced  three  rules: 


Summer  and  Winter  Clothing.  83 

1.  The  greatest  care  should  be  given  to  the  venti- 
lation of  the  schoolrooms.  Let  the  teacher  remem- 
ber that,  otherwise,  he  will  be  punished  by  the  bad 
effect  upon  his  own  temper. 

2.  Teachers  should  not  treat  their  pupils  roughly, 
or  so  as  to  terrify  them;  but  in  a  friendly,  encourag- 
ing, even  cheering  manner.  If,  for  instance,  they  can 
arouse  the  children's  laughter  by  a  joke  or  witticism, 
the  distraction  will  do  no  harm;  on  the  contrary,  the 
"  salutary "  essence  thus  released  will  lighten  the 
labor  of  learning,  and  its  exhalation  will  have  a  bene- 
ficial effect  upon  pupils  and  teachers  alike. 

3.  There  should  be  no  school  held  after  dinner, 
while  digestion  is  going  on  ;  because  then  the 
"  noxious"  emanations  are  freely  evolved,  and  quickly 
corrupt  the  atmosphere  of  the  schoolroom.  As  much 
can  be  done  in  one  hour  before,  as  in  two  hours 
after,  dinner. 


SUMMER  AND   WINTER  CLOTHING. 

(1879.) 

WE  have  had  to  wait  for  the  summer,  but  within 
the  last  few  days  it  has  set  in  in  earnest.  The 
newspapers  have  chronicled  many  cases  of  sunstroke, 
both  among  civilians  and  in  the  army;  while  the 
number  of  those  who  sigh  and  perspire  under  the  in- 
fliction of  the  sun's  rays  is  legion.  How  does  the 
heat  affect  people  clad  in  wool  and  the  Sanatory 
coat? 

According  to  my  own   experience,   and  the   com- 
munications received  from  otliers,  I  can  answer  that 


84  Summer  and  Winter  Clothing. 

the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  has,  for  us,  acquitted 
itself  splendidly.  Not  but  that  we,  too,  have  per- 
spired; nor  that  we  perspired  much  less — assuredly 
not  more — than  others,  but  because  the  perspiring  is 
effected  much  more  easily  and  opportunely;  that  is  to» 
say,  before  the  perilous  thickening  of  the  blood  sets 
in,  which  in  extreme  cases  causes  apoplectic  fits.  Here 
I  may  mention  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  it 
is  a  tenet  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  to  keep  on 
the  coat  uninterruptedly,  even  in  the  greatest  heat. 
On  the  contrary,  a  follower  of  the  System,  may  do 
that  which  people  with  the  ordinary  style  of  clothing 
hardly  dare  do. 

After  freely  perspiring,  the  coat  may  be  removed 
without  fear  of  the  consequences,  and  with  consider- 
able refreshment.  This  is  a  privilege  which  others 
cannot  enjoy  for  fear  of  taking  cold. 

I  advise  wearers  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing 
not  to  seek  relief  from  intense  heat  by  unbuttoning 
or  opening  their  coats.  The  relief  is  only  felt  at 
first,  and  soon  changes  into  a  feeling  of  an  opposite 
character,  for  the  partial  cooling  along  the  middle 
line  of  the  chest  quickly  interferes  with  the  body's 
power  of  evaporation.  The  only  correct  plan  is 
either  to  take  the  coat  off,  or  to  retain  it  closely  but- 
toned up.  In  walking,  when  the  heat  is  great,  it  is 
unquestionably  better  to  keep  the  coat  closely  but- 
toned up.  At  first,  the  perspiration  will  pour  out 
freely,  although  it  will  soon  cease,  unless,  indeed,  the 
weather  be  exceedingly  sultry.  But,  when  the  des- 
tination is  reached,  the  coat  may  at  once  be  removed, 
thus  reversing  the  practice  of  wearers  of  "vegetable- 
fibre  "  clothing,  who  may  march  in  their  shirt-sleeves, 


Siimtner  and  Winter  Clothing.  85 

but  must  put  on  their  coats  when  they  rest,  if  they 
would  guard  against  catching  cold. 

I  have  considered  the  question  of  summer  and 
winter  clothing  at  some  length,  and  have  found  that 
it  cannot  be  disposed  of  off-hand.  If  we  turn  to  the 
feathered  and  the  hairy  animals,  we  shall  find  that 
not  all  of  them  by  any  means  alternate  light,  summer 
clothing  with  thick,  winter  clothing. 

Among  hairy  animals,  otters,  beavers,  and  others 
that  are  amphibious,  make  no  such  change;  neither 
do  the  natural  inhabitants  of  the  desert;  for  I  never 
observed  anything  of  the  sort  among  the  antelopes 
and  wild  asses  at  the  Vienna  Zoological  Gardens. 
Lastly,  no  such  change,  as  a  rule,  takes  place  with 
birds.  Thus,  among  animals  provided  with  a  special 
vesture,  those  most  liable  to  exposure  and  climatic 
influences,  do  not  vary  their  clothing  with  the  seasons. 
The  only  hairy  animals  with  which  the  change  is 
really  marked,  are  those  that  live  in  the  woods  and 
fields;  and  that  fact  is  quite  intelligible. 

When  the  woods  are  thick  with  foliage,  and  the 
fields  lie  under  growing  crops,  these  animals  find 
themselves  no  longer  in  the  open  air,  but  buried  in 
the  covert,  and  surrounded  by  a  damp  atmosphere, 
which  greatly  impedes  the  evaporation  from  the  sur- 
face of  their  bodies.  Nature  has,  then,  placed  these 
animals  under  a  covering  of  leaf  and  grass,  and  the 
body  naturally  endeavors  to  lighten  its  clothing. 
When  autumn  scatters  the  leafy  and  grassy  coverings, 
the  case  is  reversed,  for,  then,  heavier  coats  must 
counteract  the  exposure.  With  animals  not  subject 
to  such  alternations  of  external  conditions,  and  with 
the   majority   of  birds,    especially   those   always  on 


8G  tSummer  mid  Winter  Clothing. 

the  wing;  this  change  of  coat  does  not  take 
place. 

In  our  climes,  civilized  man  must  be  compared 
with  the  birds,  rather  than  with  the  animals  of  the 
field  or  forest.  For,  like  the  birds,  both  in  summer 
and  winter  he  is  in  the  open  air;  and,  even  when 
indoors,  he  is  surrounded  by  dry  walls,  and  not  by 
plants  constantly  throwing  off  watery  vapor.  There- 
fore, observation  of  the  animal  world  does  not  teach 
us  to  change  our  clothing  according  to  the  season. 

The  conclusion  will  be  substantially  the  same  if  we 
consult  men  leading  a  comparatively  natural  exist- 
ence. The  shepherd  opines,  "  that  which  is  good  for 
cold  protects  against  heat,"  and  puts  on  his  cloak 
when  he  feels  too  hot.  In  Hungarian  pasture-lands 
the  shepherds  w^ear  the  sheepskin  bunda  both  in  sum- 
mer and  winter,  with  the  difference  that  in  summer 
they  turn  the  woolly  side  out,  and  in  winter,  in. 

As  regards  my  own  experience  I  may  say  that,  last 
summer  I  w^ore  rather  thick  coats,  and  came  through 
the  heat  quite  comfortably.  This  summer  I  passed 
in  a  lighter  dress,  but  I  perspired  much  more.  I 
will  not  positively  say  that  this  was  due  to  the 
thinner  coat;  for,  owing  to  the  excessive  moisture,  it 
was  a  very  "perspiring"  summer,  but  the  above  ex- 
perience certainly  did  not  indicate  a  change  of  coats 
in  summer  and  winter. 

To  test  the  correctness  of  this  view  of  the  matter,  I 
questioned  other  wearers  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothini:,',  and  found  that  their  experience  coincided 
exactly  with  my  own.  At  times  they  perspired  con- 
siderably, but  decidedly  less  than  in  former  years, 
and  with  greatly  diminishe«l  annoyance. 


Inhalation  of  Dust.  87 

INHALATION  OF  DUST. 

(1879.) 

THE  introduction  of  the  so-called  dust  into  the 
respiratory  passages  is,  under  certain  circum- 
stances, a  frequent  and  not  insignificant  cause  of 
disease;  especially  when  the  body's  power  of  resist- 
ance is  impaired.  I  may  instance  a  case  in  point, 
which  is  instructive,  as  showing  how  illness  may 
originate;  and,  therefore,  what  precautionary  meas- 
ures should  be  taken. 

Last   autumn   a   change   in   the   direction   of  my 
eldest  son's  studies,  required  that  he  should  overtake 
class-mates  who  had  been  studying  Greek  for  the  last 
four  years  ;  whereas  he  had  done  no  Greek  before. 
Notwithstanding  my  endeavor  to  meet  the  effects  of 
this  extra  strain  by  prescribing  a  specially  invigorat- 
ing diet;    notwithstanding,  too,  that   my   son  wore 
the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing;  all  the  symptoms  of 
over-exertion   presented   themselves:    as,  diminished 
mental  energy,  defective  memory,  loss  of  equanimity, 
bodily  exhaustion.     Another  instructive -symptom,  as 
bearing  upon  my  former  elucidations  of  the  subject, 
was  the  remarkable  diminution  of  his  specific  weight. 
At  the  end  of  the  autumn  holidays,  his  specific  grav- 
ity registered  at  1,111  grams,  and  when  I  weighed 
him  again  at  Christmas,  it  had  fallen  to  1,060.     This 
low  bodily  condition  continued  'through  the  winter 
school   term,  and  in  the   spring  the  following-men- 
tioned events  occurred  : 

My  little  garden  in  the  course  of  the  winter  had 
been  twice  dressed  with  liquid  manure;  and,  when  in 


88  Inhalation  of  Dust. 

the  spring,  we  set  about  digging  up  the  ground,  the 
dry  weather  had  set  in.  The  clods  had  become  as 
liard  as  stones,  so  that  we  had  to  pulverize  them, 
which,  with  a  strong  east  wind  blowing,  raised  a 
great  quantity  of  dust.  I  myself,  my  eldest  son  and 
one  of  my  daughters,  engaged  in  the  work;  and 
we  all  were  exposed  to  the  inhalation  of  this  dust 
liighly  charged  with  manure.  The  consequence,  to  my 
daughter  and  myself,  was  a  somewhat  violent  and 
obstinate  catarrh;  but  quite  unattended  with  fever; 
and  we  were  able  to  continue  our  usual  vocations. 
My  son,  however,  fell  ill  with  a  species  of  severe  in- 
fluenza, and  was  completely  prostrated  for  ten  days. 
I  then  allowed  him  ample  time  for  recovery,  and  his 
convalescence  proceeded  so  favorably,  that  b}'-  mid- 
summer, his  specific  gravity  had  risen  to  1,127 
grams. 

This  case,  besides  bearing  out  my  doctrine  of 
epidemic  immunity,  goes  to  show  that  the  same 
description  of  dust  which  will  produce  general  con- 
stitutional derangement  when  the  powers  of  resist- 
ance are  impaired,  will  excite  local  irritation  in  the 
air-passages  (ff  the  lungs  only,  when  the  body  is  prop- 
erly hardened.  Thus  the  condition  of  body  estab- 
lished by  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sj'^stem,  although  it 
may  not  afford  absolute  protection  against  the  injuri- 
ous consequences  of  dust  inhalation,  will  certainly 
render  them  less  dangerous;  in  proof  of  which,  if 
time  and  space  permitted,  I  might  adduce  a  whole 
series  of  further  observations. 

It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  we  should  neglect 
to  remove  the  dust  from  the  atmosphere  which  we 
breathe;  for,  even  a  harmless  catarrh  can  hardly  be 


Catarrh.  89 

reckoned  among  the  pleasures  of  existence;  while 
continual  inhalation  of  dust,  such  as  people  in  certain 
trades  are  exposed  to,  may  effectually  sap  the  foun- 
dations of  health.  Still,  followers  of  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System  need  feel  no  more  apprehansion  re- 
specting the  inhalation  of  injurious  dust  than  they 
feel  with  regard  to  colds  and  epidemics.  But  those 
who,  in  despite  of  timely  warnings,  obstinately  persis^t 
in  clothing  their  bodies  in  fabrics  of  vegetable  fibre, 
must  be  content  to  bear  the  ills  of  which  they  deliber- 
ately incur  the  risk. 

CATARRH. 

(1879.) 

WHEN  a  new,  practical  sanitary  measure  is  dis- 
covered, inquiry  must  be  made  not  only  as  to 
what  it  can  accomplish,  but  also  as  to  what  it  cannot 
accomplish.  I  mention  the  incident  which  I  shall 
presently  relate,  because  I  have  had  repeated  proofs 
that  a  very  general  preconception  lies  in  the  way  of  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  subject  of  catarrh. 

The  preconception  referred  to,  is  in  the  form  of  a 
belief  that  every  cough  and  cold  in  the  head  is 
directly  referable  to  what  is  called  catching  cold.  If 
that  were  so,  people  who  adopt  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  should  never  suffer  from  cough  or  catarrh; 
otherwise  my  doctrine  that  the  sanatory  clothing 
renders  its  wearers  independent  of  the  influence  of 
the  weather,  would  be  incorrect. 

Repeated  experiments  have  clearly  shown,  that  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  Cloth  in  g  System,  when  properly  and 


90  Catarrh. 

completely  carried  out,  does  protect  against  chill.  As, 
however,  the  experience  of  myself  and  others,  shows 
that  cases  of  catarrh  will  occur — generally  of  short 
duration,  though  occasionally  violent — I  have  inves- 
tigated each  instance  of  the  kind,  with  special  refer- 
ence to  its  cause. 

The  chief  subject  of  the  investigation,  is  the  mucus 
issuing  from  the  nose  or  mouth.  In  such  examina 
tions,  I  have  generally  found  the  cause  of  the  supposed 
catarrh  to  be  some  intruded,  foreign  body.  Cor- 
puscles were  either  directly  visible  to  the  naked  eye, 
or  the  gray  color  of  the  mucus  pointed  to  the  soot  or 
smoke  inhalation;  or  the  microscope  would  reveal  the 
presence  of  what  is  generally  termed  "  dust." 

I  will,  however,  recount  a  particular  instance, 
because  it  illustrates  another  not  uncommon  precon- 
ception. 

During  my  holiday  tour,  I  was  awakened  suddenly, 
one  night,  by  a  violent  fit  of  coughing,  that  lasted  for 
fully  ten  minutes.  Eventually  I  coughed  up  clear 
mucus,  which  was  deposited  on  a  plate  previously 
wiped  for  the  purpose.  After  repeated  expectoration 
the  irritation  in  the  throat  moderated,  when  I  again 
lay  down.  On  looking  up  at  the  ceiling,  the  air  in 
that  direction  seemed  to  me  close  and  confined,  and 
the  inclination  to  cough  came  back  again. 

This  was  a  sufficient  hint,  and  I  turned  my  head 
towards  where  the  fresh  air  was  streaming  in  through 
the  open  window,  when  I  was  soon  sound  asleep  .again. 
Next  morning  I  discovered  that  the  wall-paper  near 
the  ceiling  was  mouldy,  and  in  the  collected  nmcus  1 
(^ould  distinctly  perceive  gray  particles  of  dust.  Un- 
fortunately, I  had  not  a  magnifying  glass  by  me,  to 


The  Shirt,  the  Trousers,  and  the  Hat.         91 

ascertain  decisively  whether  these  were  of  the  nature 
of  white  fungoid  moulds  or  not. 

The  reader  may  possibly  ask  what  there  is  remark- 
able in  this  occurrence.  Everyone  knows  that  persons 
will  cough  when  something  gets  into  their  throat. 
And  yet,  the  case  is  worthy  of  remark,  for  it  shows 
how,  if  the  body  is  thoroughly  hardened,  the  respira- 
tory organs,  at  once,  and  powerfully,  react  when  dust 
is  inhaled,  and  continue  to  react  until  the  disturbance 
is  removed.  But  a  debilitated  constitution  is  incap- 
able of  such  reaction;  the  throat  cannot  assist  by 
means  of  the  needful  secretion  of  mucus;  there  is  a 
dry  cough  for  two  or  three  days,  but  no  dislodgement 
of  the  disturbance;  and,  when  the  flow  of  mucus 
finally  sets  in,  the  organ  is  already  affected.  Those 
whose  bodies  are  hardened  by  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  sneeze  and  cough  occasionally  with  great 
force;  but  very  quickly  the  necessary  loosening  of 
mucus  takes  place. 

Had  what  happened  to  me  in  that  hotel,  befallen  a 
man  clothed  in  vegetable  fibre,  he  would  probably 
have  contracted  a  thorough  catarrh,  and  would  have 
accounted  for  it  by  saying  that  he  must  have  caught 
a  cold  from  the  open  window. 


THE  SHIRT,  THE  TROUSERS,  AND  THE  HAT. 

(1879.) 

THE  ordinary  shirt — not  of  double  thickness  in 
front,  and  opening  down  the  middle — is  alto- 
gether unsanatory;  especially  when  worn  at  night, 
or  not  under  the  closely  buttoned-up  coat.  The  blood 
recedes  fi'om  the  skin,  and  if  this  continue,  or  cir- 


92         Tlie  Shirty  the  Trousers,  and  the  Hat. 

cumstances  be  in  other  respects  unfavorable,  the  con- 
stitution, even  when  the  body  is  not  actually  chilled, 
will  suffer  a  loss  of  vigor  in  consequence  of  diminished 
cutaneous  action. 

I  have  therefore  caused  a  shirt  to  be  designed, 
which  is  of  double  thickness  over  the  chest  and 
downwards,  and  fastens  on  the  shoulder.  This  pat- 
tern presents  a  sanatorily  perfect  shirt,  in  which 
people,  even  when  divested  of  their  coats,  and  under 
unfavorable  conditions,  may  go  about  in  safety,  as  I 
can  testify  from  numerous  experiments.  In  devising 
this  plan  and  shape,  I  did  not  overlook  the  female 
sex,  who  attach  so  much  importance  to  fashion  in 
dress,  that  the  application  of  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  the  double  covering  of  the  chest  to  women, 
can  be  ensured  onl}^  by  properly  and  tastefully  con- 
structed chemises  and  nightdresses.  As  regards  the 
choice  of  fabrics,  after  very  careful  consideration,  I 
gave  the  preference  to  stockinet  webs.  They  are 
more  porous  and  supple,  and  on  that  account  more 
durable,  while  thay  feel  more  comfortable  to  the  skin, 
and  are  less  liable  to  shrink  than  flannel. 

As  to  the  trousers:  Until  very  lately  my  instruc- 
tions related  to  the  material  onl}^,  I  insisting  that  it 
should  be  wool  alone,  but  various  observations  which 
I  have  made  on  the  subject  have  convinced  me  that 
the  form  must  be  taken  into  the  account:  that  is,  the 
trousers  should  be  so  cut  and  fastened  as  to  continue 
tlie  middle  line  of  extra  warmth  so  as  to  include  the 
abdomen.  I  advise  every  one  to  make  tlie  change, 
especially  those  ^vlio  need  to  melt  away  superfluous 
fat,  or  persons  subject  to  disorders  of  the  stomach  or 
digestive  organs. 


The  Shirt,  the  Trousers,  and  the  Hat.         93 

As  regards  the  hat,  two  points  call  for  considera- 
tion. It  should  be  made  of  anifiial  fibres,  without 
lining  of  cotton,  or  linen,  or  leather;  but  instead  of 
the  latter,  a  strip  of  felt  should  be  inserted,  or  else 
the  hat  should  be  quite  devoid  of  lining,  like  a 
Turkish  fez.  (No  one  who  has  tried  the  woolen  felt 
lining  in  the  hat  will  care  to  revert  to  a  lining  of 
leather.)  Not  only  are  the  fashionable,  hard  hats  bad 
on  account  of  their  imperviousness,  which  impedes 
the  transmission  and  evaporation  of  the  perspiration 
from  the  scalp,  but  for  the  reason  that  the  shellac 
used  in  stiffening  them  has  an  injurious  effect;  this 
is  not  the  case  with  the  cherry  gum  employed  in  the 
make  of  soft  beaver  hats;  and  old  beaver  or  felt  hats 
can  be  altered  to  conform  to  the  principle  of  the  San- 
atory hat.  To  those  who  are  bald  or  are  threatened 
with  baldness,  or  profusely  perspire  through  the  scalp, 
or  suffer  from  headache,  I  especially  recommend  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  hat. 

[The  editor  of  this  edition  of  Dr.  Jaeger's  Health 
Culture,  has  worn  the  Jaeger  hat,  winter  and  summer, 
for  over  five  years, — often  taking  long  walks  during 
the  hottest  of  the  weather, — and  not  once,  during 
that  time,  did  he  have  cause  to  take  off  his  hat  to 
wipe  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead.  It  seems 
never  to  occur  to  the  wearer  that  the  wiping  needs  to 
be  done,  the  forehead  being  always  warm  and  dry  in 
winter,  and  cool  and  dry  in  summer.  The  perspira- 
tion is  absorbed,  as  rapidly  as  it  exudes  from  the  skin, 
by  the  porous  felt;  is  at  once  transmitted  to  the  outer 
surface,  where  its  evaporation,   by  neutralizing  the 


94  Normal  Duration  of  Iluma)i  Life. 

heat,  keeps  the  temperature  down  to  a  comfortable 
degree  of  coolness.  If  Dr.  Jaeger  had  given  to  the 
world  nothing  but  his  Sanatory  hat,  he  would  be  en- 
titled to  the  honor  of  being  called  a  public  bene- 
factor. 

Although  a  person  may  be  overcome  by  heat,  at- 
tended with  great  exertion,  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether  the  wearer  of  the  Jaeger  hat  could  be  a  vic- 
tim of  sunstroke,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term.] 

NORMAL  DURATION  OF  HUMAN  LIFE. 

(1879.) 

A  FRENCH  naturalist  first  pointed  out  that  do- 
mesticated animals  live  from  five  to  six  times 
as  long  as  the  time  required  to  grow  to  full  size.  A 
horse,  for  example,  is  fully  grown  in  four  years,  and 
remains  fit  for  work  up  to  the  twentieth  year,  as  a 
rule;  dogs  of  the  larger  breeds,  grow  from  one-and-a- 
half  to  two  years,  and  live  to  the  tenth  year;  and  the 
same  law  obtains  among  other  hairy  animals  the 
limit  of  the  ages  of  which  can  be  estimated. 

That  the  rule  also  holds  good  in  reference  to  man, 
may  be  learned  from  tribes  living  in  a  wild  state. 
The  native  Australians,  for  instance,  perhaps  the 
nearest  perfect  specimens  of  men  in  a  natural  con- 
dition still  extant,  reach  their  full  stature  between  the 
tenth  and  twelfth  years,  becoming  old  at  from  fifty 
to  sixty.  Properly  speaking,  they  never  ail,  and  are 
singularly  free  from  epidemic  disease;  their  life  being 
such  as  to  have  an  especially  hardening  effect  on  the 


Normal  Duration  of  Human  Life.  95 

body,  as  they  go  quite  naked,  and  build  themselves 
no  habitations. 

Considering,  therefore,  that,  in  our  climes,  full 
growth  is  attained,  on  an  average,  at  about  the  eight- 
eenth or  twentieth  year,  the  normal  termination  of 
life  should  be  at  the  ninetieth  or  hundredth  year. 
That,  potentially,  we  are  endowed  with  such  lon- 
gevity, is  shown  by  the  isolated  examples,  of  centen- 
arians of  both  sexes,  met  with  in  every  calling  and 
every  country.  Consequently,  putting  accidents 
aside,  we  must  conclude  that  death,  when  occurring 
at  a  less  advanced  age,  is  the  direct  result  of  the  un- 
natural mode  of  life  adopted  by  civilized  man;  partly, 
indeed,  on  compulsion  and  without  any  fault  of  his, 
but,  to  a  great  extent,  through  ignorance  or  careless- 
ness. In  some  cases  the  foundations  of  disease  are 
laid  in  childhood,  through  improper  methods  of  rear- 
ing, while  in  others  a  debilitated  constitution  is  he- 
reditary. 

It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  much  remains  to  be 
done  in  the  interest  of  a  national  system  of  health- 
culture,  both  publicly  and  individually;  and  it  is 
certainly  a  cheering  sign  of  the  times  that,  within 
the  later  decades  of  the  present  century,  this  import- 
ant task  has  been  taken  up  in  the  most  various 
quarters  in  a  manner  heretofore  unknown. 

Many  will  be  alarmed  at  the  idea  that  all,  or  even 
a  large  percentage  of  mankind,  should  live  to  so  great 
an  age;  for,  as  it  is,  the  progressive  increase  of  popu- 
lation in  Germany  is  proportionally  greater  than  that 
of  the  supply  of  food. 

This  is,  so  far,  correct,  and  the  extraordinary  pro- 
longation of  life  of  all  weakly  persons,  might  seem  to 


06  Diphtheria. 

work  liai'dsbip  to  the  bread-winners,  who  must  sup- 
port them.  But,  if  health-culture  be  devoted  to  rais- 
ing the  standard  of  working  capacity,  such  fears  will 
speedily  vanish.  To  the  man  who  is  capable  of  work 
and  whose  body  is  hardened,  the  whole  world  lies 
open,  nowadays,  and  there  is  room  for  the  further 
dissemination  of  the  human  race  for  centuries  yet  to 
come. 


DIPHTHERIA. 

(1880.) 

THE  maxim  which  obtains  among  students  of 
nature,  that  an  isolated  case  does  not  warrant 
general  conclusions,  is  j^erfectly  sound ;  yet  when  such 
an  isolated  case  tallies  with  a  theory  supported  by  a 
whole  series  of  facts,  such  as  that  which  I  have  put 
forward  respecting  immunity  from  epidemics,  it  must 
have  more  than  the  ordinary  weight  of  a  single  fact. 

I  have  stated  my  conviction  that,  judging  from  all 
appearances,  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  should 
afford  protection  against  diphtheria.  And  a  case  of 
this  complaint,  lately  occurring  under  my  own  roof, 
confirms  the  accuracy  of  my  surmise. 

The  reader  may  remember  the  case  of  my  eldest 
son,  who,  owing  to  several  months'  severe  application 
to  study,  lost  specific  weight  in  a  very  remarkable  de- 
gree, and  then  contracted  influenza.  This  time  my 
report  refers  to  my  youngest  boy,  six  years  old, 
whose  attendance  at  school  commenced  only  last 
October. 

As  with  most  young  birds  on  first  quitting  the  nest, 


Diphtheria.  97 

the  new  life  proved  a  heavy  cross  to  him,  and  for 
weeks  there  was  Aveeping  and  wailing;  he  was 
troubled,  and  he  cried  whenever  he  had  to  start  for 
school.  In  addition,  I  must  mention  that,  whereas 
his  classmates  had  had  a  year's  teaching  in  the  infant- 
school,  and  could  therefore  read  and  write  a  little,  my 
boy  knew  absolutely  nothing,  and  consequently  was 
obliged  to  work  exceedingly  hard  to  get  abreast  of 
his  companions.  After  a  few  weeks  the  same  symp- 
toms supervened  as  those  occurring  in  the  case  of  my 
eldest  son  previously  mentioned:  the  flesh  turned 
flabby,  he  complained  of  fatigue  after  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  walk;  (although,  in  the  previous  summer,  he 
had  quite  manfully  walked  for  seven  hours  with  me 
one  day;)  was  peevish,  cried  often  and  long;  and  the 
exhalations  were  almost  always  offensive, — suggest- 
ing the  '^  noxious  "  principle. 

Last  week  he  began  to  cough,  and  when,  a  few 
days  after,  I  came  to  examine  him,  he  presented  a 
complete  case  of  diphtheria.  The  continuous  devel- 
opment of  the  "  noxious  "  principle  had  overcome  the 
influence  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  against  dis- 
ease, exactly  as  it  had  in  the  case  of  my  eldest  son. 
Still,  the  little  fellow  kept  up,  and  the  attempt  of  my 
wife  to  make  him  stay  in  bed,  was  entirely  in  vain ; 
there  was  never  any  trace  of  fever;  and,  after  I  had 
touched  up  the  throat  two  or  three  times,  the  child 
was  quite  himself  again. 

Convinced  that  the  other  members  of  the  family 
would  enjoy  full  immunity,  by  virtue  of  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  I  did  not  isolate  the  lad,  but  merely 
forbade  him  to  kiss  anyone.  Three  days  after  the 
discovery  of   diphtheria  in   the   boy,  my  youngest 


98    Cleanliness  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing. 

daughter,  nine  years  old,  complained  of  a  tickling 
sensation  in  the  throat.  An  examination  revealed  no 
signs,  and  therefore  I  did  not  interfere.  In  the  after- 
noon she  said  she  felt  unwell,  and  on  finding  her 
slightly  feverish  I  sent  her  to  bed.  A  few  hours 
later  she  vomited  three  times  at  very  brief  intervals. 
Next  day  she  was  still  somewhat  out  of  sorts,  and  I 
then  ascertained  that  the  bowels  had  not  been  moved 
on  that  nor  on  the  previous  day.  This  was  soon 
remedied,  and  she  has  since  been  perfectly  well.  No 
one  else  in  the  family  showed  any  signs  of  sickening 
ou  this  occasion. 

From  the  above  case  I  believe  that  I  am  justified 
in  contending  that  diphtheria  is  subject  to  the  same 
law  as  cholera,  typhus,  the  plague,  dysenterj^,  and 
small-pox;  and  that  those  w^ho  adopt  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  and  guard  against  excessive  mental 
exertion,  need  not  fear  infection ;  or,  should  they  take 
it,  the  disease  will  be  mild  and  free  from  danger. 

I  have  made  similar  observations  with  reference  to 
measles  and  chicken-pox.  In  these  cases,  the  disease 
caused  no  derangement  of  the  general  health,  and 
passed  off  after  the  second  day. 

THE  CLEANLINESS   OF  THE  SANITARY 
WOOLEN  CLOTHING  SYSTEM. 

(1880.) 

rpiHE  worst  kind  of  dirt  is  that  which  is  most 
-L  offensive  to  the  senses.  That  linen  and  cotton, 
whether  worn  as  underclothing  or  used  for  coat-lin- 
ings, etc.,  acquire  an  unpleasant  odor,  may  easily  be 
ascertained;  so  that  even  persons  who  put  on  clean 


Clecmliness  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing,    99 

shirts  every  day,  must  continue  unclean  in  one  re- 
spect, for  the  coat-lining  that  cannot  be  washed  will 
constantly  give  off  its  offensive  smell.  In  this  re- 
spect the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  need  cause  no 
fear  on  the  score  of  uncleanliness,  as  it  acquires  and 
retains  a  pleasant  smell.  When  the  clothing  has  been 
worn  some  time,  it  may  be  laid  in  the  sun,  or  shut 
up  with  camphor, — when  it  will  soon  be  found  to  have 
parted  with  any  excess  of  emanations  which  it  may 
have  absorbed  from  the  body  through  long- continued 
wear. 

Then,  there  is  the  dirt  that  takes  the  form  of  dust, 
which  settles  in  woolen  garments  more  readily  than 
in  others;  but  this  is  compensated  for  by  the  fact 
that  it  can  also  be  more  easily  removed.  A  linen 
dress  covered  with  dust,  must  go  to  the  wash; 
whereas  brushing  and  beating  will  take  out  all  the 
dust  in  woolen  clothing. 

Dirt,  in  the  form  of  grease  from  the  animal  fat 
secreted  by  the  skin,  appears  only  when  the  Sanatory 
Woolen  shirt  has  been  worn  for  an  unduly  long 
period;  because  it  does  not  retain  the  cutaneous 
secretions  with  the  tenacity  that  linen  or  cotton  shirts 
do.  This  brings  me  to  the  consideration  of  the  dirt 
that  accumulates  on  the  skin.  Respecting  this,  woolen 
shirts  are  truly  incomparable.  While,  on  the  one 
hand,  shirts  made  of  vegetable-fibre  material,  attract 
all  the  dirt  of  the  skin,  converting  it  into  a  species 
of  grease  to  be  again  deposited  in  a  crust;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Sanatory  Woolen  shirts  brush  off  the 
dirt  in  the  form  of  dry  dust  so  effectually  that,  in  a 
fairly  pure  atmosphere,  the  body  looks  and  is  as 
clean  as  though  fresh  from  the  bath. 


100  The    Collar. 

To  sum  up:  everyone  is  unclean  who  neglects  to 
wash  when  dirty;  but  everyone  is  clean  who  avoids 
dirt ;  and,  as  the  body  collects  much  less  dirt  in  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  than  in  cotton  or  linen, 
the  inference  is  clear  that,  other  conditions  being 
equal,  wearers  of  the  former  are  much  cleaner  than 
those  who,  adhering  to  material  made  from  vegetable 
fibre,  literally  stick  to  cotton  or  linen  shirts. 


THE  COLLAR. 

(1880.) 

r)  ESPECTING  the  collar,  my  experience  has  been 
\^  somewhat  singular.  It  is  an  old  maxim, 
especially  of  anxious  mothers,  that  the  neck  should 
be  well  protected ;  and  many  people  would  sooner  go 
barefoot  than  with  the  neck  unprotected. 

I  had  never  paid  much  attention  to  the  subject, 
although  I  had  had  considerable  trouble  with  the 
throat  at  one  time  or  another  in  my  life;  but,  when  I 
discovered  the  principle  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  I  logically  assumed  that  the  throat  required 
no  special  care,  and  I  therefore  discontinued  wearing 
a  neckerchief.  And  I  made  no  change  on  account 
of  sundry  ailments  of  the  throat  from  which  I  have 
suffered  within  the  last  year  and  a  half;  because 
such  affections  recurred  at  much  greater  intervals, 
and  were  milder  in  character  than  formerly,  except- 
ing one  particularly  obstinate  cold  caught  last  spring. 
Over  this  I  pondered  a  good  deal;  for,  it  permanently 
injured  my  voice  and  thereby  greatly  interfered  with 
my  chief  pleasure — sitting  down  at  home  at  the  piano 


Tlte    Collar.  101 

and  singing  a  song.  Since  last  spring  the  voice  had 
retained  a  persistent  hoarseness;  the  higher  notes 
became  impossible  at  times,  and  my  voice  frequently 
broke  down  altogether. 

My  attention  was  first  directed  to  the  subject  of 
the  clothing  of  the  neck  when  I  discovered  that,  un- 
like the  Sanatory  Woolen  shirt,  my  linen  collar  very 
soon  became  malodorous.  From  that  moment  I  re- 
garded the  linen  collar  as  an  unclean  thing,  and 
considered  how  it  could  be  replaced  by  a  woolen 
substitute. 

Frequent  inquiries  encouraged  me  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  my  purpose;  but  I  regarded  the  whole  thing 
as  rather  insignificant;  and  when  I  first  put  on  my 
woolen  neck-covering,  consisting  of  a  cloth  cravat 
and  a  Vhite  cashmere  collar,  I  felt  disposed  to  laugh 
at  myself  for  riding  a  hobby;  but  was  pleased  to 
find  that  the  contrivance  did  not  look  unsightly.  Of 
course  I  at  once  felt  the  comfort  of  the  wool,  but  I 
did  not  foresee  anything  more. 

On  the  very  next  day,  however,  I  felt  that  the 
condition  of  my  throat  had  much  improved;  and, 
from  time  to  time,  I  expectorated  loose  phlegm  with- 
out cough  or  effort  of  any  kind.  When,  some  days 
after,  I  first  attempted  to  sing  again,  my  daughter 
remarked  that  my  voice  sounded  plainer  and  clearer 
than  ever.  I  had  noticed  it  myself,  without  attach- 
ing any  particular  importance  to  the  change,  because 
it  had  previously  occasionally  varied  from  better  to 
worse.  A  few  days  later  I  again  tried,  and  my  voice 
was,  in  the  first  song,  as  clear  as  it  had  ever  been 
after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  preliminary  practice. 
This  was  quite  a,  new  experience;  but  it  did  not  stop 


102  Silk. 

there,  for  I  found  that  my  voice  had  increased  its 
compass. 

At  my  best,  G  had  been  the  highest  chest  note,  and 
in  falsetto  C;  whereas,  now,  B  came  easily  from  tlie 
chest,  and  in  falsetto  E,  which  I  had  never  previously 
been  able  to  accomplish.  The  cleansing  or  clearing 
of  the  throat  by  the  secretion  of  mucus  continued; 
and  there  was  no  further  disturbance,  the  voice  re- 
maining uniformly  good,  whereas,  in  former  days, 
even  prior  to  that  excessively  severe  cold,  it  was 
always  unreliable. 

Perspiration  freely  exudes  at  the  point  where  the 
collar  touches  the  neck;  and  the  linen  collar,  which 
readily  takes  up  moisture,  whether  of  perspiration  or 
of  the  atmosphere,  becomes,  in  consequence,  damp 
and  chilly,  and  a  common  source  of  throat  disorders. 
It  is  therefore  of  the  highest  importance  to  clothe 
the  neck  with  material,  such  as  animal  wool,  which 
will  not  invite  a  chill;  a  truth  well  attested  by  the 
frequent  use  of  woolen  wrappers  and  comforters. 
The  latter,  however,  may  be  superseded  by  the  Sana- 
tory Woolen  collar  and  cravat;  and  I  strongly  recom- 
mend every  one  to  make  the  change  for  the  benefit 
of  his  throat. 


SILK. 

(1880.) 

IIIAVP]  often  been  asked  to  express  an  opinion  as 
to  the  merits  of  silk  for  dresses,  etc.  After  a 
careful  investigation  of  the  properties  of  silk,  I  have 
been  forced  to  the  conclusion,  that,  as  touching  the 


Silk.  103 

main  point, — its  relation  to  the  odorous  principles,* — 
it  is  open  to  the  same  objection  as  that  urged  against 
the  vegetable  fibre  fabrics. 

*  [To  those  who  are  not  entirely  en  rapport  with  Dr. 
Jaeger,  respecting  the  "odorous  principles,"  it  may 
be  well  to  say,  that  it  is  not  necessary  either  to 
understand  or  to  accept  his  theory  on  this  point, 
in  order  to  appreciate  those  "  properties  of  silk," 
which  render  it  objectionable  as  a  material  for  un- 
derwear. Positively  it  is  the  equal  of  wool  as  a 
non-conductor  of  heat  and  electricity  ;  negatively^ 
it  is  the  inferior  of  wool,  from  its  lack  of  all  the 
other  qualities  which  go  to  make  the  woolen  fabric 
the  material  par  excellence  for  the  clothing  of  the 
human  body.  The  chemical  constituents  of  the  two 
essentially  differ.  The  composition  of  wool  is  al- 
most identical  with  that  of  gelatine,  so  large  a  con- 
stituent  of   the   animal   tissue.      The   elements   are, 

C41  H67  ^13  O16. 

Silk  consists  of  three  substances  ;  a  thin  outer 
layer  of  gelatine, — soluble  in  water  ;  next,  a  layer 
of  albumen, — soluble  in  acetic  acid  on  boiling;  and 
third,  a  nitrogenized  substance  called  sericine,  which 
is  soluble  in  neither  water  nor  acetic  acid.  S^ricine 
is  the  chief  substance  of  spider's  thread. 

Although  it  is  as  good  a  non-conductor  of  heat 
as  wool,  it,  other  conditions  being  the  same,  is  not 
so  good  a  protection  against  changes   of   tempera- 


104  76'    W'ook/t    Clothing  WtakeuuKj / 

ture.  In  common  phrase,  it  is  not  so  war)n  in  win- 
ter nor  so  cool  in  summer.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  it  has  not  the  repulsion  for  water,  nor  the  at- 
traction for  vapor,  that  wool  has  ;  nor  the  affinity 
for  air — properties  and  conditions  so  ingeniously 
combined,  and  adapted  to  the  physiology  of  the 
human  skin,  that  it  would  seem  as  though  nothing 
short  of  infinite  wisdom  could  have  disposed  them 
so  wisely.] 


IS  WOOLEN  CLOTHING  WEAKENING? 

(1880.) 

ONE  who  desires  to  adopt  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  has  asked  the  question  whether  he 
can,  witliout  danger,  continue  to  take  a  cold  bath 
every  morning,* 

As  this  inquiry  shows  how  deep-rooted  is  the  pre- 
judice which  ascribes  weakening  effects  to  the  wear- 
ing of  wool,  I  will  now  take  the  opportunity  of  dis- 
cussing the  misapprehension  indicated  by  the  above 
heading. 

This  prejudice  is  founded  upon  the  fact  that  a 
person,  who  has  worn  a  woolen  shirt  beneath  the 
customary  clothing  of  mixed  materials,  and  who, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  warm  season,  substitutes 
:i  linen  or  cotton  shirt  for  it,  very  easily  catches  cold. 
The  simple  explanation  is,  that  the  action  of  the  wool 


♦See  "Cold  Baths,"  p.  137, 


Is  Woolen   Clothing  Weakening?  105 

predisposes  and  accustoms  the  body  to  a  certain  dis- 
tribution of  the  blood — that  is  to  say,  more  blood 
circulates  near  the  surface  and  less  internally.  Linen 
or  cotton  clothing  has  a  contrary  effect,  as  it  drives 
the  blood  from  the  skin  inwards^  thus  creating  a  very 
important  disturbance  of  the  previously  subsisting 
equilibrium.  The  malefactor,  therefore,  is  obviously 
not  the  woolen,  but  the  white  shirt;  whence  it  plainly 
follows  that  the  woolen  shirt  should  be  constantly 
worn.  It  will  be  asked  why  such  simple  reasoning 
has  hitherto  been  generally  overlooked.  The  answer 
is,  that  when,  at  the  commencement  of  summer, 
woolen  shirts  were  felt  to  be  hot,  no  other  alleviation 
was  thought  of  than  to  lay  them  aside  until  the  fol- 
lowing winter.  Here,  again,  this  feeling  of  oppres- 
siveness was  not  caused  by  the  woolen  shirts,  but  by 
the  cotton  or  linen  linings  to  the  coat  and  waistcoat. 
I  perceived  that  these  must  be  banished  from  the 
coat.  When  I  first  determined  to  wear  my  winter 
coat  and  woolen  shirt  through  the  summer,  I  found 
them  inconveniently  hot,  and  I  hit  upon  the  idea  of 
cutting  out  the  Imings  of  the  coat,  instead  of  laying 
aside  the  woolen  shirt;  with  that,  the  Columbus  ^gg 
was  made  to  stand. 

Instead  of  weakening,  the  action  of  wool  is  entirely 
the  reverse;  the  tendency  of  the  woolen  garment  is  to 
harden  and  strengthen  the  body.  The  only  condition 
indispensable  to  the  maximum  result  is,  that  the  wool 
shall  be  in  sole  possession.  By  overlaying  a  woolen 
shirt  with  vegetable  fibre  in  the  shape  of  coat-linings, 
we  produce  a  state  of  things  in  the  perspiratory  sys^ 
tem  similar  to  the  deadlock  caused  by  hitching  horses 
to  both  ends  of  a  cart.     The  cart  will  not  budge. 


]U6  The   Curative  Poicer  of  Wool. 

Half-and-half  woolen  clothing  does  not  harden  the 
body,  and  if  its  wearer,  in  his  "untrained"  condition, 
should  exchange  the  Sanatory  Woolen  shirt  for  a 
linen  or  cotton  one,  he  will  be  fortunate  if  he  escapes 
without  an  illness  during  the  transition  stage. 

The  flesh  of  a  man  clothed  entirely  in  wool  is  strong 
and  firm.  If  he  undress  in  cold  weather,  the  blood, 
driven  for  a  moment  from  the  surface  towards  the 
interior,  promptly  returns  to  the  skin,  affording  the 
necessary  counterpoise  to  the  cold. 


THE  CURATIVE   POWER  OF  WOOL. 

(1880.) 

HITHERTO,  discussion  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System  has  been  confined  to  its  preventive 
virtues,  and  to  its  relation  to  the  sense  of  health  and 
capacity  for  work,  mental  and  physical.  Recent  ex- 
perience, however,  has  distinctly  shown  it  to  possess 
curative  power  in  a  quite  unexpected  degree. 

My  reason  for  refraining  so  far  from  publishing  such 
experiences,  in  spite  of  many  requests  that  I  would  do 
so,  has  been  a  reluctance  to  expose  myself  to  the  risk 
of  being  reviled  as  a  quack  doctor,  pretending  to  work 
miraculous  cures  with  a  universal  panacea.  For  the 
same  reason  I  now^  refrain  from  instancing  particular 
cases  and  maladies  by  name,  and  treat  of  the  subject 
mere!}'  in  general  terms.  Intelligent  readers  will  not 
fail  to  extract  from  my  remarks  that  which  may  be 
useful  to  them. 

It  is  well  known  that  in  sickness,  the  exhalations 
are  offensive  as  compared  with  those  given  off  in 


The   Curative  Power  of  Wool.  107 

health.  A  second  fact,  noticed  in  my  researches,  and 
now  fully  substantiated,  is  that  the  feeling  of  indis- 
position, or  generally  deranged  condition,  is  caused 
by  the  presence  of  "  noxious  "  exhalations,  and  if  these 
can  be  dispelled  the  indisposition  is  removed. 

A  third  fact  is  that  the  most  safe  and  effectual 
.means  for  the  dissipation  of  such  exhalations,  is  an 
abundant  cutaneous  evaporation,  aided  by  clothing 
that  will  not  hold  offensive  emanations.  The  Sana- 
tory Woolen  Clothing  supplies  both  these  desiderata; 
hence  it  is  a  remedial  agent  in  every  general  consti- 
tutional derangement,  and  permanently  renders  the 
service  which  is  sought  from  cold  water  cures,  Turk- 
ish baths,  gymnastics,  etc.,  w^here  the  object  aimed  at 
is,  in  reality,  the  promotion  of  cutaneous  evaporation, 
which,  however,  when  thus  procured,  can  be  temporary 
only. 

A  familiar  mode  of  treatment  in  the  removal  of 
solid  or  fluid  morbific  deposits  from  the  bodj^,  is  that 
which  doctors  term  counter-irritation,  wherein  it  is 
endeavored,  by  the  most  various  means,  to  bring  out 
the  disease  through  the  skin.  The  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing  does  this  most  effectually,  because  it  per- 
manently establishes  a  more  abundant  blood-supply 
over  the  entire  integumentary  surface;  and  in  ,this 
diversion  of  the  blood  to  an  outward  direction,  reliev- 
ing the  internal  pressure,  wearers  of  the  Sanatory 
Woolen  Clothing  may  find  an  explanation  of  the  re- 
duction of  accumulated  fat  which  they  soon  experi- 
ence. Now,  that  which  applies  to  excess  of  fat  holds 
good  of  other  useless  deposits  in  the  body. 

There  is,  further,  a  series  of  internal  disorders — 
especially  of  the  abdominal  organs — which,  if   not 


108  The   Curative  Power  of  Wool. 

directl}'^  caused  by,  are  yet  associated  with,  an  ab- 
normal distribution  of  the  blood,  that  is  to  say,  an 
inordinate  determination  of  blood  to  these  organs. 
The  Sanitary  Woolen  System  is  also  highly  beneficial 
in  these  cases  through  its  tendency  to  attract  the  blood 
to  the  skin,  and  thus  to  relieve  the  internal  parts  of 
the  body. 

On  the  other  hand,  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing 
retains  those  *'  salutary "  emanations  of  the  body 
which  induce  a  sense  of  vigor  and  sound  health. 
These  constitute  the  most  energetic  and  certainly 
the  most  wholesome  of  remedial  agents;  and  may  be 
not  inaptly  termed  the  body's  "  inherent  medicine." 
The  best  drugs  which  chemists  supply  do  not  agree 
with  every  patient,  because  constitutions  differ.  A 
doctor  who  is  unmindful  of  this  law,  and  neglects 
to  study  the  constitutions  of  his  patients,  runs  the 
risk  of  working  much  mischief.  No  such  risk  at- 
taches to  the  "body's  inherent  medicine;"  it  is  that 
element  which,  in  medical  schools,  formerly  went  by 
the  name  of  vis  medicatrix  naturoe,  or  nature's  heal- 
ing power,  and  to  which  the  physician  appeals 
when  art  no  longer  avails  to  save  a  patient.  I  have 
explained  that  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  col- 
lects and  stores  up  this  healing  power  of  nature, 
an  instance  of  the  popular  faith  in  which,  is  the 
practice  among  the  poorer  classes  of  taking  off  a 
woolen  stocking  to  wrap  it  round  the  neck  in  cases 
of  sore  throat. 

In  most  instances  the  change  from  ordinary  to 
Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing,  proceeds  quite  smoothly, 
)>ut  in  several  cases  which  have  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, it  has  been  attended   wiUi  the  appearance  of 


The  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  Reform.     109 

what  may  be  termed  a  "  crisis,"  *  which  is  the  effort 
of  nature  to  expel  from  the  body  any  disease  located 
in  it.  Under  the  stimulus  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing,  the  skin  copiously  exudes  "noxious"  per- 
spiration, which  again  subsides,  leaving  behind  a 
most  pleasant  sense  of  health  and  comfort.  The 
practice  of  sleeping  with  the  window  open  in  all 
weathers,  a  practice  which  should  never  be  relaxed, 
is  especially  salutary  during  a  "  crisis,"  as  it  promotes 
the  free  dispersion  of  the  "  noxious "  emanations 
which  the  body  exhales. 

In  short,  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  is  a  cura- 
tive agency  as  powerful  and  effectual  as  any  of  the 
so-called  constitutional  methods  of  treatment.  In 
cases  of  dyscrasia,  where  distempered  humors  have 
to  be  dispersed,  crises  of  a  more  important  character 
may  take  place,  as  in  other  methods  of  cure.  But  it 
would  be  folly  to  be  discouraged  on  this  account,  and 
to  relinquish  a  remedy  which  will  effect  a  permanent 
cure  if  the  System  be  adhered  to. 

PROGRESS    OF    THE    SA:N^AT0RY    WOOLEN 
CLOTHING  REFORM. 

(1880.) 

IN  the  prosecution  of  this  far-reaching  reform,  it 
is  necessary  to  be  ever  on  the  watch  to  combat 
and  refute  prejudices,  rooted  in  the  hitherto  sanc- 
tioned modes  of  dress  and  hygienic  tenets;  to  turn 
the  assaults  of  an  opposition  which  proceeds  from 
persons  interested  in  the  linen  and  cotton  industries; 
and  to  correct  constantly -recurring  mistakes  made  by 

*  See  "  The  Crisis  of  Disease,"  page  §7. 


110       T]u-lS<iii(Uory  Woole)i  Clothhuj  Rpform. 

the  general  public  in  their  adoption  and  practical 
utilization  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System,  referable 
to  imperfect  apprehension  of  the  subject. 

It  may  interest  my  readers  if  I  here  give  a  sum- 
mary of  what  has  so  far  (1880)  been  achieved. 
Introduced  two  years  ago,  my  Sanitary  Woolen 
System  has  already  taken  root  in  all  European 
countries,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  particularly 
in  Germany,  Austria,  and  Finland,  wliere,  in  every 
town  of  any  size  and  importance,  many  now  wear  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing.  Of  course,  the  greatest 
progress  has  been  made  in  my  own  Swabian  district, 
where,  by  means  of  lectures  delivered  in  the  chief 
towns,  I  have  succeeded  in  firmly  establishing  the 
superiority  of  the  new  system  of  dress,  to  that  of  the 
old.  Next  to  Swabia,  ranks  Bavaria;  while  in  the 
North  German  States,  I  understand  it  is  in  Hamburg 
that  the  System  has  found  most  adherents. 

With  the  extensive  experience  thus  acquired,  ob- 
jectionable features  of  the  original  designs  for  the 
various  articles  of  clotliing,  have  been  eliminated  • 
and  difficulties  connected  with  the  choice  of  material 
nature  of  web,  degrees  of  thickness,  cut  and  makr. 
etc.,  have  been  overcome.  I  will  not  assert  that 
nothing  further  remains  to  be  done  on  these  various 
points;  but  much  progress  has  been  made  and  mani^ 
improvements  have  been  introduced. 

Extensive  experience,  too,  enables  me  to  state  that 
the  beneficial  effects  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System, 
as  originally  tested  upon  a  comparatively  small  num- 
ber of  persons;  (which  effects  I  summed  up  as  power 
of  resistance  to  weather,  disease,  and  the  influence  of 
the  emotions,  together  with  an   important  enhance- 


Tlie  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  Reform.     Ill 

luent  of  the  mental  and  physical  capacities;)  can  be 
realized  by  persons  of  both  sexes  of  every  age  and 
calling;  provided  they  will  faithfully  observe  the 
three  fundamental  rules;  namely,  to  wear  the  Sana- 
tory Woolen  Clothing;  to  sleep  in  and  on  wool;  and 
to  keep  the  bedroom  window  open  at  night. 

The  objections  urged  against  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,,  that  it  involves  the  danger  of  uncleanliness; 
that  it  tends  to  debilitate;  that  it  is  unsuitable  for 
the  season; — have  not  only  been  shown  to  be  theoret- 
ically untenable,  upon  grounds  intelligible  to  every 
one  with  the  least  claim  to  technical  knowledge,  but 
they  have  also  been  refuted  by  the  evidence  of  well 
established  facts. 

I  would  ask  impartial  readers  to  note  that  I  do  not 
desire  the  truth  of  my  statements  to  be  taken  for 
granted;  but  rather  that  a  thorough  and  fair  trial 
should  be  made  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System,  un- 
influenced by  long-established  custom  or  prejudice. 
Especially  would  I  caution  the  public  against  coats 
not  made  throughout  of  pure  woolen  material. 
Readers  will  be  astonished,  if  they  examine  the 
interior  of  their  coats,  at  the  quantity  of  evil-smell- 
ing rubbish,  especially  when  damp,  that  they  will  find 
there. 

My  attention  has  been  drawn,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  by  experts  in  the  wool  trade,  to  the  fact 
that,  besides  interweaving  entire  cotton  yarns  into 
the  fabric  of  buckskins  or  other  stuffs,  an  adulteration 
that  is  easily  detected,  many  more  fraudulent  prac- 
tices are  restorted  to;  such  as  spinning  cotton  together 
with  the  wool,  so  as  to  increase  the  tenacity  of  the 
yarn,  and  thereby  facilitate  the  process  of  working  in 


112    Variations  of  Temperature,  and  Sunstroke. 

considerable  quantities  of  the  cheaper,  short  stapled 
wools.  My  informants  stated  that,  as  the  percent- 
age of  intruded  cotton  is  small,  the  imposture  is  un- 
discernible  to  the  naked  eye,  and  hence  such  stuffs 
are  frequently  palmed  off  upon  buyers  as  all-wool 
material.  I  have  recently  had  proof  that  the  above 
statements  are  perfectly  correct.  I  examined,  under 
the  microscope,  thirty-six  cuttings  of  buckskins, 
which,  in  the  opinion  of  highly  experienced  men  of 
business,  were  pure,  all-wool  cloth;  and  I  found  that 
six  of  these  cuttings — or  about  seventeen  per  cent, 
contained  some  admixture  of  cotton.  True,  it  did 
not  exceed  one  or  two  per  cent,  but  it  had  escaped 
observation.  If  the  alcohol  in  wine  contains  one  per 
cent  of  fusel  oil,  the  wine  is  unwholesome;  or  if  a 
pastrycook  uses  in  one  baking  a  hundred  eggs,  and 
only  one  of  the  hundred  is  addled,  the  whole  baking 
is  tainted.  Woolen  material  adulterated  with  ever 
so  little  vegetable  fibre  is  a  parallel  case. 


VARIATIONS    OF    TEMPERATURE,    AND 
SUNSTROKE. 

(1880.) 

IN  No.  212  of  the  Neue  Zuricher  Zeitimg,  Dr. 
Mayenfisch  writes,  in  an  article  on  "Mountain 
Climate,"  as  follows  :  "  Many  think  to  harden  the 
body  by  seeking  to  do  without  extra  clothing  in  the 
cooler  hours  of  the  morning  and  evening,  but  this 
folly  must  be  dearly  paid  for.  The  skin  promotes  or 
checks  the  evolution  of  heat  in  sympathy  with  the 
surrounding   temperature  ;    but    as    it  cannot   adapt 


Variations  of  Temperature,  and  Sunstroke.  113 

itself  to  sudden  leaps  and  bounds  of  temperature  it 
must  be  assisted  by  the  clothing.  When  the  tem- 
perature is  low,  the  clothing  should  be  warmer,  while 
in  high  temperatures,  lighter  garments  should  be 
worn,  which,  too,  may  be  loosened  and  opened  to 
facilitate  the  throwing  off  of  heat.  The  impediment 
to  this  function  offered  by  the  closely-buttoned  mili- 
tary uniform,  when  troops  are  massed  in  columns, 
and  the  consequent  accumulation  of  heat  in  the  body, 
cause  the  frequent  cases  of  sunstroke  witnessed  on 
the  march  or  on  parade.  Let  every  one,  therefore, 
put  on  warmer  clothing  in  the  early  morning  and 
,  after  sunset." 

I  will  now  express  my  view  on  the  subject.  The 
statistics  for  the  whole  German  army,  on  which  I 
based  my  researches  on  the  preservation  of  health, 
cover  a  period  of  six-and-a-quarter  years;  and  these 
instructive  returns  go  to  show  that,  among  an  equal 
number  of  men,  the  deaths  from  sunstroke  were 
thirty-four  among  recruits,  twenty  among  soldiers  of 
two  years'  service,  and  only  six  among  those  of  three 
years'  service.  Hence,  it  would  appear  that,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  buttoned  uniforms,  massed  columns, 
and  consequent  heat — the  causes  of  sunstroke,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Mayenfisch — another  very  material 
element  must  be  taken  into  account,  viz.,  the  degree 
to  which  the  body  is  hardened. 

The  probability  of  a  fatal  sunstroke  with  a  thor- 
oughly seasoned  soldier  of  three  years'  standing,  is 
six  times  less  than  it  is  with  a  recruit.  If,  therefore, 
the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  have  the  effect  of 
hardening  the  body,  it  must  proportionately  tend  to 
protect  against  sunstroke.     Some  cases  of  sunstroke 


114    Variations  of  Temperature,  aiid  Su72stroke. 

occurred  in  our  Wiirtemberg  Array  Corps  in  the 
middle  of  last  August.  On  the  very  day  of  these 
casualties — a  day  of  most  intense  heat — a  party  con- 
sisting of  myself,  my  wife,  ray  boy,  (six  years  old,) 
and  ray  son-in-law,  walked  from  half -past  nine  to 
twelve  o'clock  to  the  Federsee  Lake,  along  the 
Schussenried  and  Buchau  road,  entirely  without 
shade.  We  went  upon  the  lake  in  a  boat  during 
the  hottest  part  of  the  day — two  till  half-past  four 
o'clock — exposed  to  the  scorching  rays  of  two  suhs, 
one  from  above,  and  the  other  reiiected  from  the 
water, — ray  son-in-law  and  myself  rowing  nearly  all 
the  tirae.  We  went  through  the  day  in  high  spirits, 
the  holiday  mood  never  forsaking  us  for  a  nioraent, 
and  in  the  evening  returned  home  on  foot  by  the 
same  road,  after  a  most  enjoyable  excursion. 

In  the  case  of  wearers  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing,  the  limits  referred  to  by  Dr.  Mayenfisch, 
between  which  the  skin  can  perform  its  function  of 
heat  evolution,  are  very  much  enlarged,  so  that  only 
those  whose  bodies  are  clothed  on  wrong  principle, 
need  lay  to  heart  the  advice  about  morning  and  even- 
ing dress.  The  former,  if  so  minded,  may  reverse 
the  usual  order  without  incurring  risk.  They  may 
walk  with  coats  buttoned  up  in  the  hottest  part  of 
the  day,  and  may  enjoy  the  Gerraan  national  garae 
of  skittles  in  the  evening,  exposed  to  the  strongest 
draughts,  playing  in  their  shirt-sleeves;  in  fact,  that 
is  just  what  I  did  myself  on  our  return  to  Schus- 
senried on  tlie  occasion  referred  to. 


The  Woolen   Glove,  and  Stings.  115 

THE   WOOLEN^   GLOVE,  AND   STINGS. 

(1880.) 

AMONG  the  fruits  of  a  foot  tour  just  brought  to 
a  close,  is  an  observation  in  respect  to  sting- 
ing-flies; and,  since  the  newspapers  periodically  till 
the  air  with  lamentations  about  the  mosquitoes,  I 
need  make  no  apology  for  here  communicating  my 
experience. 

Not  every  one  is  alike  sensitive  to  the  stings  of 
gadflies  and  gnats.  I  myself  belong  in  a  very  special 
manner  to  the  sensitive  class.  On  the  spot  where 
the  sting  is  inflicted,  there  rises  an  itching  tumor 
which  plagues  me  for  weeks.  Two  years  ago  I 
noticed  that  the  swelling,  together  with  the  itching 
sensation,  very  soon  disappeared,  if  the  wound  were 
scratched  with  a  small  knife,  sufficiently  to  draw 
a  drop  or  two  of  blood.  Obtaining  relief  in  the  same 
manner  on  several  subsequent  occasions,  I  have  since 
made  it  a  point  in  summer  time,  as  soon  as  the  flies 
make  their  appearance,  to  carry  a  vaccinator's  lancet 
for  the  purpose  above  indicated.  This  year  I  have 
discovered  another  remedy. 

First,  I  was  stung  in  the  hand  by  gadflies,  three 
times  in  rapid  succession,  on  my  journey  home  from 
Hohenheim.  Simply  with  the  idea  of  preventing 
further  stings,  I  pulled  on  my  woolen  gloves.  To 
my  surprise  the  itching  sensation  was  allayed  in  a 
minute  or  two,  and  the  trouble  was  at  an  end. 

On  our  pedestrian  excursion,  I  had  further  oppor- 
tunities to  observe  the  like  effects,  threfe  time«  on  my 
own  person,  and  once  on  my  daughter.     My  wife  aiw 


IIG  The  Woolen   Glove,  and  >Sttngs. 

daughter,  Avho  had  been  in  the  habit  of  wearing  cot 
ton  gloves  in  summer,  assured  me  that  a  gadfly  or 
gnat,  stinging  through  a  cotton  glove,  inflicts  very 
great  pain  indeed.  This  reminded  rae  that  I  had  also 
suffered  greatly  when  stung  through  the  white  linen 
trousers  of  former  days. 

On  another  occasion  I  struck  my  hand  against  a 
stinging-nettle,  and  as  this,  too,  causes  me  very  great 
annoyance,  I  resorted  to  my  woolen  gloves,  with  the 
same  excellent  result.  Gnats  paid  us  a  visit  on  two 
nights  during  our  travels;  several  of  us  heard  them 
buzzing,  felt  the  sting,  and  found  the  swelling  in  the 
morning.  I  had  six  lumps  on  the  legs,  which  were 
very  troublesome  and  much  swollen;  but  scarcely  had 
I  put  on  my  closely-fitting  woolen  breeches  when 
lumps  and  itching  had  gone.  Such  close-fitting 
breeches,  made  of  stockinet,  are  quite  as  good  a  rem- 
edy and  protection  against  stings  as  woolen  gloves. 
Loose  trousers,  made  of  cloth  or  buckskin,  cannot  act 
in  the  same  way,  in  spite  of  the  woolen  material,  be- 
cause they  move  backwards  and  forwards,  and  thus 
irritate  the  wound.  Stockinet  cloth  breeches,  on  the 
contrary,  cling  tightly,  and  therefore  do  not  rub 
against  the  part  which  has  been  stung. 

(To  the  foregoing  may  be  added  that  bee-keepers 
have  testified  to  the  protection  afforded  by  woolen 
gloves  in  cases  of  stinging.) 

Thus,  in  a  field  of  observation  which  I  should  never 
have  imagined  would  repay  the  trouble  of  thought  or 
study,  is  again  clearly  revealed,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
])rotocting  and  remedial  virtue  of  wool,  and  on  the 
other,  the  baneful  effects  of  cotton.  Now,  too,  I  wa& 
reminded  of  something  which  had  always  been  a  mys- 


Patents.  117 

teiy  to  me.  Whereas  gadfly  stings  raise  great  bumps 
on  human  beings,  which  itch  and  smart  for  days; 
upon  cattle,  that  are  at  times  stung  by  swarms  of 
these  flies  so  as  to  be  covered  with  blood-drops,  no 
bumps  are  seen,  nor  movements  denoting  itching  or  a 
desire  to  rub  themselves;  as  soon  as  the  gadflies  are 
gone  the  stung  animal  is  perfectly  quiet.  Various 
explanations  may  be  suggested,  but  the  facts  are 
there  to  speak  for  themselves. 

An  extension  of  the  clothing  reform  to  the  gloves 
will  confer  a  very  distinct  benefit;  and  the  use  of  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  gloves  may  be  recommended  to 
every  one  who  is  dissatisfied  with  the  condition  of 
the  hands. 


PATENTS. 

(1880.) 

THE  first  condition  imposed  by  manufacturers  in 
taking  up  specialties,  is  protection  by  patents 
or  registered  designs.  It  is  only  under  such  protec- 
tion that  a  man  of  business  will  feel  encouraged  to 
incur  the  initial  loss  involved  in  the  make  and  intro- 
duction of  new  articles,  and  subsequently  to  consti- 
tute them  an  exclusive  feature  of  his  trade.  Without 
patents,  competitors  will  at  once  begin  to  make  and 
sell  goods  for  which  an  opening  has  been  secured, 
and  the  originator  will  be  damaged,  if  not  ruined. 

Inventors  who  present  their  discoveries  free,  ben- 
efit no  one,  but  do  harm  to  everybody  concerned. 
First:  the  cause  sustains  damage,  for  it  cannot  be 
properly  advanced;  secondly,  consumers  suffer,  since 


118  llic   Open  Bedroom  Window. 

they  can  never  procure  the  articles  on  reasonable 
terms — if  due  regard  be  had  to  quality  and  workman- 
ship; thirdly,  manufacturers  lose,  because  their  earn- 
ings are  diminished  by  the  difficulties  attendant  upon 
a  new  process  of  manufacture.  Plence  it  is  as  a  mat- 
ter of  public  policy,  and  not  in  the  interest  of  individ- 
ual inventors,  that  civilized  States  have  very  wisely 
enacted  patent  laws. 

It  was  on  the  urgent  and  repeated  recommendation 
of  his  Excellency  Dr.  von  Steinbeis,  a  gentleman 
who,  greatly  to  the  benefit  of  the  community,  has  for 
many  years  occupied  the  distinguished  post  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  Royal  Central  Board  of  Trade  and  Indus- 
trj"  in  Wiirtemberg,  that  X,  too,  resorted  to  this  effec- 
tual means  of  protecting  my  designs;  and  the  sequel 
showed  me  that  my  adviser  had  counseled  well. 


THE  OPEN  BEDROOM  WINDOW. 

(1879.) 

A  BOOK  might  easily  be  written  on  the  numerous 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  practice  of 
(dioays  sleeping  with  the  bedroom  window  oj)en,  and 
the  deleterious  effects  of  neglecting  the  practice;  and 
on  the  progress  which  has  been  made  in  the  treatment 
of  disease  since  it  has  been  recognized,  as  a  prime  ne- 
cessity of  life  and  health,  that  the  atmosphere  imme- 
diately surrounding  the  body  should  freely  mingle 
with  the  0])en  air. 

It  cannot  be  too  often  insisted  upon  that  the  body 
will  not  be  hardened  or  enabled  to  resist  the  attacks 
of  disease,  unless  there  be  thorough  ventilation  of  the 


Tlie   Oxjcn  Bedroom  Window.  119 

bedroom.  To  insure  this,  in  miid  and  quiet  weather, 
two  windows  should  be  open  at  the  top,  when  more 
than  one  person  is  sleeping  in  a  room.  But,  however 
cold  or  severe  the  weather,  one  window  should  always 
be  open  at  the  top,  as  it  may  be  with  safety,  since  the 
air  can  be  prevented  from  blowing  on  the  sleeper  by 
the  interposition  of  a  blind  or  a  curtain.  To  endeavor 
to  ventilate  a  bedroom  by  an  open  window  in  an  ad- 
joining room,  is  useless,  as  may  readily  be  ascertained 
by  the  sense  of  smell,  which  is  the  best  test  as  to 
whether  a  room  is  properly  ventilated  or  not. 

If,  on  returning  to  a  bedroom,  in  the  morning,  from 
the  fresh  air,  it  is  found  to  be  in  the  least  fusty,  it  is 
certain  that  the  ventilation  is  insufficient.  Nor  is  this 
fustiness  merely  a  sign  that  the  air  is  impure;  the 
odorous  matters  the  presence  of  which  the  fustiness 
indicates,  are  the  "noxious"  elements  of  the  body's  ex- 
halations, and  they  have  an  injurious  effect  when  they 
are  inhaled  with  the  atmosphere  which  they  pervade. 
Various  unfounded  objections  have  been  urged,  tend- 
ing to  countenance  a  notion  that  the  night  air  is  laden 
with  qualities  injurious  to  sleepers.  For  instance,  it 
is  stated  that  the  night  air  is  vitiated  with  carbonic 
acid,  which  is  dangerous  to  the  breathing  passages 
when  inhaled.  In  making  this  assertion  the  fact  is 
overlooked  that  the  breathing  passages  invariably 
contain  air  charged  w^ith  4  per  cent,  of  carbonic  acid, 
while  the  proportion  in  the  night  air  is  at  most  but 
four  parts  in  a  thouscmd.  I  myself  have  made  the 
experiment  of  charging  the  atmosphere  with  carbonic 
acid  up  to  1  per  cent.,  (two-and-a-half  times  as  much,) 
without  in  the  least  affecting  my  breathing.  On  the 
other  hand,  if   the  water  that  streams  down  insidu 


120  Woolen   Clothing  Fire- Proof. 

the  window  of  a  closed  sleeping-room  be  collected, 
one  droj)  of  this  liquid,  impregnated  as  it  is  with  the 
"  noxious  "  exhalations  given  off  by  the  sleej^el'S,  will 
suffice  to  poison  a  rabbit,  as  has  been  shown  by  actual 
experiment.  Those  who  have  adopted  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  are  free  from  night  sweats,  and  are 
not  subject  to  the  chills  of  which  persons  clad  in 
linen,  and  sleeping  in  sheets,  are  so  greatly  in  dread. 
The  woolen  clothing  and  bedding  afford  ample  pro- 
tection; and  if  the  head,  from  baldness,  or  the  thin- 
ness of  the  hair,  be  especially  sensitive,  some  extra 
light  woolen  covering  may  be  provided  for  it.  The 
difference  in  the  effect  on  the  spirits,  and  in  the  re- 
freshed, instead  of  jaded,  feeling,  on  rising  from  bed, 
when,  by  means  of  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing 
and  Bedding,  and  the  open  window,  the  "noxious" 
exhalations  of  the  body  are  allowed  to  pass  freely 
away,  instead  of  being  inhaled  over  and  over  again, 
can  onl}'-  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have  tried  it. 
Children  no  longer  toss  about  in  their  beds  and  throw 
off  the  clothes,  leaving  the  lower  limbs  exposed,  while 
the  face  and  hair  are  clammy  with  perspiration.  In 
the  hottest  nights  they  lie  comfortably,  just  as  they 
went  off  to  sleep. 

WOOLEN-  CLOTHING   FIRE-PROOF. 

(188L) 

THE  great  difference  in  this  respect  between 
woolen  and  vegetable  fibre  is  worth  noticing. 
Cases  often  occur  in  which  the  hair  takes  fire,  but  it 
;icver  l)urns    down    to  tlx'    skin,  as   would  certainly 


Woolen   Clothing  Fire-Proof,  121 

happen  with  vegetable  fibre.  If  a  piece  of  linen  or 
cotton  be  held  over  a  lighted  candle,  it  ignites  in- 
stantly, and  burns  rapidly  away,  with  a  white,  clear 
flame,  leaving  nothing  bat  a  light-gray  ash.  If  a 
similar  experiment  be  made  with  woolen  material,  a 
considerable  time  will  pass  before  it  will  ignite  at  all, 
and  then  the  flame  is  extinguished  as  soon  as  the 
material  is  removed  from  the  lighted  candle.  Thus, 
people  are  fire-proof  in  wool;  i.e.,  their  clothing  or 
bedding  cannot  take  fire  ;  while,  when  clothed  in 
woven  material  of  vegetable  fibre,  they  are  prac- 
tically torches  ready  for  the  lighting. 

[Dr.  Jaeger  here  disposes,  in  a  few  lines,  of  one  of 
the  most  important  facts  connected  with  his  whole 
system.  There  are  but  few  persons  who  have  not 
had  painful  opportunity  to  observe  the  almost  gun- 
cotton  velocity  with  which  cotton  clothing  flashes 
into  flame,  to  the  utter  destruction  of  one  or  more 
victims,  and  often  to  the  injury  of  several  others. 
A  stray  match  on  the  floor  or  sidewalk;  a  burning 
fragment  of  a  cigarette  or  cigar;  too  close  approach 
to  an  over-heated  stove  or  fireplace,  is  the  simple 
cause  of  many  a  horrible  death  to  persons,  women 
and  children,  clothed  in  cotton  or  linen  fabrics.  No 
such  calamity  could  befall  a  person  clothed  in  woolen. 
Long  before  the  fabric  could  be  heated  to  the  point 
of  ignition,  the  smell  of  scorching  woolen  would  give 
ample  warning  of  the  impending  danger.  For  night- 
dresses, nothing  else  should  ever  be  worn,  especially 


l-.'2         TIlc  iStuiatorij  Woolen  Handkerchief] 

by  children.  The  nou-combustibility  of  the  woolen 
fibre,  in  the  protection  it  affords  against  one  of  the 
most  common  as  well  as  dreadful  accidents,  is  the 
only  property  needed  to  complete  the  proof  of 
supreme  wisdom  in  its  construction,  and  adajJtation 
to  the  purpose  of  clothing  the  human  body.] 


THE   SANATORY  WOOLEN 

HANDKERCHIEF,  AND   CATARRHAL 

INFECTION. 

(1881.) 

LAST  winter,  when  the  severe  cold  weather  sud- 
denly set  in,  and  windows  and  doors  in  the 
living  rooms  were  kept  closely  shut;  the  diminished 
ventilation  and  heated  atmosphere  caused  all  things  of 
vegetable  fibre  in  the  rooms  to  exhale  the  "  noxious" 
odors  which  they  previously  absorbed;  and  whoever, 
like  myself,  was  compelled  by  his  occupation  to  re- 
main continually  indoors,  contracted  what  is  fre- 
quently mistaken  for  a  cold,  but  in  reality  resembles 
the  disease  called  "  strangles,"  with  which  horses, 
kept  in  stables,  are  affected;  in  other  words,  we  did 
not  catch  cold,  but  we  were  "  poisoned  "  by  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  rooms  in  which  we  lived. 

(I  may  here  remark  that  I  have  been  reproached 
fur  repeatedly  comparing  the  condition  of  human 
beings  to  that  of  animals.  I  am  compelled  to  this 
by  the  necessity  of  keeping  before  my  readers'  notice 
the  fact  that  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  does  not 
piomise  absolutely  jtcrfect  health,  or  perpetual  rxist- 


Tli6  tSa)iat07'y  Woolen  Handkerchief.        123 

ence,  but  only  that  degree  of  stability  of  health  which 
is  possessed  by  the  domestic  animals.) 

I  was  guided  to  the  above  conclusion  by  the  fol- 
owing  circumstances,  which  existed  in  my  own  case 
and  in  all  similar  ones  that  came  under  my  observation : 
I  never  coughed  out  of  doors,  however  cold  it  might 
be,  nor  at  night,  when  sleeping  with  the  window 
open;  the  irritation  in  the  throat  was  only  felt  when 
in  the  living  rooms.  It  was  evident  from  the  begin- 
ning that  the  cough  originated  in  the  stomach;  as  a 
fit  of  coughing  would  set  in  about  two  or  three  hours 
after  taking  a  meal,  without  any  apparant  cause. 
This  period  coincided  with  that  of  the  change  in  the 
nature  of  the  emanations  proceeding  from  the  food 
in  the  process  of  digestion. 

My  sons,  who  skated  a  great  deal,  and  went  twice 
a  day  to  school,  were  entirely  exempt  from  the  dis- 
order in  question  ;  and  the  case  of  my  youngest 
daughter,  who  went  to  school  in  the  forenoon  only, 
was  milder  than  that  of  my  grown-up  daughters, 
who  sat  at  home  at  their  needlework.  But  the  chief 
suiferer  was  .myself  ;  for  while  my  family  betake 
themselves  at  from  10  to  11  p.m.  to  the  pure  air  of 
the  bedrooms,  I  remain  until  2  a.m.  in  a  study  filled 
with  books,  papers,  and  other  objects,  which  alter- 
nately absorb  and  exhale  the  noxious  matters  in  the 
atmosphere. 

I  find  that  the  remedy  for  this  disorder  consists  in: 

(1)  Thorough  ventilation  of  the  living-rooms. 

(2)  The  use  of  a  handkerchief  that  does  not  propa- 
gate infection.  It  is  an  old  rule  that  catarrh  will 
more  readily  be  cured  if  the  handkerchief  be  changed 
as  often  as  practicable.     This   must  be  due   to  the 


12-i         The  Sanatory  Woolen  Handkerchief. 

presence,  in  the  used  handkerchief,  of  an  infectious 
agent  which  renews  the  catarrhal  complaint  ;  and 
herein  lies  a  striking  confirmation  of  my  theory  re- 
specting the  effects  of  the  "  noxious  "  emanations. 

I  reasoned  that  this  infectious  agent  must  be  the 
well-known  characteristic,  odorous  matter  of  hand- 
kerchiefs used  by  catarrhal  patients;  further,  that 
this  "  noxious "  emanation  would  be  absorbed  by 
vegetable,  but  not  by  woolen  fibre.  In  order,  there- 
fore, to  obtain  relief  from  the  disorder,  after  it  had 
annoyed  me  for  four  weeks,  I  resolved  to  try  the 
woolen  handkerchief,  which  had  already  been  intro- 
duced by  adherents  of  my  Sanitary  Woolen  System, 
although  I  had  hitherto  objected  to  it  as  imprac- 
ticable. This  objection  I  withdraw,  and  I  acknowl- 
edge my  error.  In  three  days  I  was  freed  from  the 
nasal  catarrh,  and  by  the  fourth  day  the  cough  had 
disappeared  ;  only  the  mucous  membrane  of  the 
throat  was  not  completely  in  order.  I  may  add,  that, 
so  far  as  I  could  learn,  no  "  hardened  "  wool-wearers, 
thus  attacked,  experienced  feverish  symptoms,  or 
were  interrupted  in  their  ordinary  vacations.  For 
instance,  when  the  disorder  was  at  its  height  I  was 
able,  on  one  occasion,  to  dictate  for  seven  hours  at  a 
time;  on  another,  to  lecture  and  discuss  continuously 
from  7  p.m.  to  2  a.m.  in  a  thick  atinosi^here  of  to- 
bacco-smoke. 

Since  I  have  adopted  the  woolen  handkerchief,  the 
nasal  secretion  lias  become  quite  normal  ;  but  the 
catarrhal  affection  of  the  throat  and  larynx  remained 
almost  unchanged,  until  one  day  when  a  light  dawned 
upon  me.  1  had  for  years  smoked  a  pipe  consisting 
of  a  clay  IkjwI  and  a  simple  reed  stem;  and  it  occur- 


The  Adulteration  of  Wool  with  Cotton,       125 

red  to  me  that,  just  as  the  handkerchief  of  vegetable 
tibre  preserves  the  infection  of  nasal  catarrh,  so  the 
pipe  stem  of  vegetable  fibre  might  retain  the  infec- 
tion of  throat  catarrh.  Therefore,  if  thj  theory  were 
correct,  by  substituting  a  horn  mouthpiece  for  the 
reed  stem  the  continuous  self-infection  would  cease. 
This  surmise  was  completely  justified  by  the  result. 
A  few  days  after  the  change  from  the  wooden  to  the 
horn  mouthpiece,  the  catarrh  disappeare'd  from  my 
throat,  and  the  voice  was  restored.  Various  tests 
have  further  tended  to  establish  the  fact  of  the 
noxious  quality  of  the  wooden  mouthpiece.  Inhala- 
tion from  it  distinctly  retarded  the  rapidity  of  the 
movements  of  the  nerves,  as  measured  by  the  stop- 
watch; (see  page  15;)  and  I  have  several  times  made 
the  experiment  of  smoking  through  it  since,  and  with 
the  result  invariably  of  an  irritating  effect  on  the 
throat.  This  effect,  however,  passed  off  again  at  once, 
an  important  indication  that  the  infection  does  not 
arise  from  disease  germs,  but  from  odorous  matter. 

THE   ADULTERATION   OF   WOOL   WITH 
COTTON. 

(1881.) 

THE  surest  way  in  which  to  detect  the  adultera- 
tion of  wool  with  cotton,  is  by  microscopic 
examination.  With  a  thirty-fold  magnifier  the  least 
admixture  can  easily  be  recognized.  The  woolen 
thread  appears  as  a  cylindrical  body  of  almost  circu- 
lar shape,  with  wavy  outline;  the  cotton  thread  ap- 
pears flat  and  ribbon-like,  with  angular  folds,  as  if 
crumpled. 


12G  The  Air  hi  Hooms. 

A  second  test,  wliicli  any  one  can  apply,  is  to  hoM 
the  separated  warp  and  wool  to  a  flame.  Pure 
woolen  thread  exposed  to  a  flame,  fuses  to  an  irregu- 
lar mass  before  it  is  consumed,  leaving  a  shapeless 
ash;  and  it  ceases  to  burn  when  removed  from  the 
flame;  cotton  or  linen  thread  burns  steadily  on  after 
its  removal  from  the  flame,  and  the  form  of  the 
thread  is  distinctly  preserved  in  the  ash.  If  a  thread 
be  an  admixture  of  wool  and  cotton,  it  will  burn 
irresfularlv. 


o 


THE    AIR    IN    ROOMS 

(1881.) 

THE  injurious  effects  of  air  confined  in  rooms, 
upon  health,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  themes  of  sanitary  science.  Writers  on  health 
abound  with  advice  as  to  ventilation  ;  to  keep  as 
much  as  possible  in  fresh  air,  and  so  on;  and  my 
readers  know  the  importance  of  sleeping  at  night 
with  the  window  open.  Therefore,  in  making  tlie 
following  suggestions  with  reference  to  the  air  in 
rooms,  I  am  only  pursuing  and  extending  the  ancient 
track.  I  have  now  (autumn,  1881)  had  three  years' 
experience  with  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sj'stem,  and  I 
can  safely  say  that  it  lias  answered  all  my  expecta- 
tions. It  is  a  powerful  remedy;  and,  when  the  body 
is  hardened,  maintains  those  who  adopt  it  in  as 
sound  health  as,  for  instance,  the  horse,  or  the  house- 
dog. More  than  tliis  cannot  be  required  of  any  S3'-s- 
tem,  by  those  who  dwell  under  artificial  conditions, 
within  four  walls.  But  the  improvement  im})lied  by 
the  above  comparison,  will  be  patent  to  every  one 


Til  a  Air  in  Rooms.  127 

who  knows  how  mucli  less  often  the  dog  is  ill  than 
its  owner. 

To  laymen,  at  the  beginning,  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System  may  have  seemed  as  if  it  would  accomplish 
even  more  than  this,  but  medical  men  know  that  all 
systems  of  cure  and  rules  of  health,  such  as  the  use 
of  special  baths,  change  of  air,  change  of  diet,  etc., 
work  much  more  energetically  at  the  commencement 
than  when  the  body  becomes  accustomed  to  the 
altered  conditions.  The  reason  is  that  the  bodily 
machine  at  once  seeks  to  restore  the  equilibrium  thus 
disturbed,  and  to  this  end  works  more  rapidly,  caus- 
ing freer  and  more  abundant  exhalation  of  the 
"noxious"  vapors.  The  consequent  improvement  in 
health,  at  the  commencement,  should  not  be  allowed 
to  mislead,  as  the  value  of  a  rule  of  health  can  be 
estimated  only  when  the  body  is  accustomed  to  it. 

This  stage  in  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  has 
now  been  reached  by  many,  and  the  conclusion  ar= 
rived  at  is,  that  the  System  procures  that  addition  of 
health  for  which  man  has  hitherto  had  every  reason 
to  envy  the  domestic  animals;  but  the  wool-wearer 
shares  with  the  domestic  animals  those  diseases  which 
are  the  raison  (jfetre  of  veterinary  surgeons.  The 
question  now^  to  be  asked  is,  Can  matters  be  carried 
any  further  ?  Again  the  animals  supply  the  answer, 
and  most  plainly. 

I  describe  the  wool-wearer  as  being  as  healthy  as 
a  horse  or  a  dog,  or  more  precisely,  as  housed  cattle; 
a  higher  degree  of  health  is  attained  by  grazing- 
cattle — for  example,  by  sheep.  These  are  much  less 
subject  to  disease  due  to  the  personal,  "noxious" 
exhalations;  for  instance,  wool-wearers  do  occasion- 


128  The  Air  in  Rooms. 

ally  catch  cold  in  the  same  way  and  for  the  same 
reason  as  housed  cattle,  while  grazing-cattle  are  ab- 
solutely weather-proof  ;  but  the  latter  are  not  proof 
against  infectious  diseases,  although  the  fact  that 
sheep  are  more  so  than  oxen,  was  impressed  upon  the 
soldiers  in  the  Franco-German  war,  who  had,  for  that 
reason,  to  subsist  on  mutton.  That  sheep  are  in- 
fected with  very  dangerous  parasites,  does  not  affect 
the  argument,  for  all  wild  animals  have  parasites. 

To  what  is  the  higher  degree  of  health  of  grazing- 
cattle  due  ?  Simply  to  the  cause  that  makes  our 
soldiers  healthier  during  the  month  of  the  manoeuvres 
than  they  are  when  penned  in  barracks.  Grazing- 
cattle  constantly  bivouac,  at  least  in  summer,  and  are 
not  poisoned  by  the  air  of  their  stable.  Yet  a  degree 
higher  in  health  than  grazing-cattle,  are  ground-game, 
(hares,  foxes,  deer,  partridges,  pheasants,  etc.,)  which 
also  bivouac  in  the  winter.  These  animals  are  not 
only  weather-proof,  but  much  less  subject  to  epidemics 
than  grazing-cattle.  Still,  however,  such  diseases  do 
occur,  and  it  would  be  interesting  to  consider  the  rea- 
sons, which  will  be  explained  by  the  following  two 
facts : 

1.  Animals  that  live  on  the  ground  are  nearer  proof 
against  epidemics  than  animals  that  live  imder  the 
ground;  for  instance,  field-mice  are  subject  to  violent 
epidemics,  which  will  destroy  nearly  all  of  them  in  a 
district;  and  this  occurs  when  the  mice  are  so  numer- 
ous that  the  whole  ground  smells  of  their  excrement, 
and  is  therefore  saturated  with  poison  proceeding  from 
the  mice  themselves. 

2.  The  birds  in  the  air  are  absolutely  infection- 
proof.     I  have  never  heard  of  nor  seen  an  epidemic 


The  Air  in  Rooms.  129 

among  crows,  jackdaws,  sparrows,  starlings,  swallows. 
The  only  diseases  to  which  they  are  subject  are 
caused  by  lice  and  w^orms;  and  they  sometimes  suffer 
from  predatory  animals,  frost,  hail,  etc.  Their  ''  self- 
poison  "  is  mainly  contained  in  their  excrement,  and 
with  this  they  hardly  ever  come  in  contact,  while 
they  are  removed  from  every  kind  of  miasma  of  the 
ground. 

Now  comes  the  question,  to  what  degree  of  health 
man  may  hope  to  attain,  having  regard  to  existing 
circumstances  and  customs,  and  without  heavy  ex- 
penditure; in  other  words,  without  building  castles 
in  the  air,  or  inhabiting  balloons,  as  he  would  need 
do  to  become  as  healthy  as  the  birds.  This  condition 
is,  therefore,  unattainable;  and  here,  as  everywhere, 
to  demand  perfection,  generally  leads  to  realizing 
little  or  nothing.  Those  who  have  followed  my  sug- 
gestions as  to  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  and  Bed- 
ding, and  sleeping  with  open  window,  have  reached 
a  degree  of  health  equal  to  that  of  the  horse.  The 
next  degree,  and  the  only  one  practicable  for  discus- 
sion, would  be  health  equal  to  that  of  sheep.  The 
experiences  of  this  winter  (1881-2)  give  me  the  firm 
assurance  that  this  is  tolerably  easy  of  attainment; 
for,  it  is  merely  a  question  of  pure  air  in  our  houses 
and  workrooms;  respecting  which  I  am  in  a  position 
to  say  something  more  radically  helpful  than  any- 
thing my  predecessors  have  said  on  the  subject  of 
ventilation. 

Before  coming  to  the  practical  side  of  the  question, 
I  must  again  institute  a  comparison  between  man  and 
domestic  animals.  If  animals  be  classified  accordincr 
to  the  facility  with  which  they  contract  disease,  the 


1.30  The  Air  in  Hoonis. 

lowest  place  must  be  assigned  to  stalled  cattle,  the 
horse,  and  the  ox,  wlio  live  in  the  same  compartments 
in  which  they  deposit  their  excrement.  Why  does 
the  dog  possess  a  higher  power  of  resistance  to  dis- 
ease ?  Because  the  dog  is  cleanly  indoors,  and  does 
not,  like  stalled  cattle,  subject  itself  to  the  injurious 
influence  of  the  odor  of  its  excrement;  while  even 
chained  dogs  are  not  confined  in  close  rooms.  The 
greatest  strength  of  resistance,  and  the  toughest 
nature  of  all,  has  the  cat,  which  carefully  buries  its 
excrement,  and  is  not  confined  to  the  atmosphere  of 
rooms,  or  chained  to  miasmatic  ground,  as  dogs  fre- 
quently are,  but  seeks  the  airy  and  lofty  parts  of 
dwellings.  These  considerations  show  that  the  worst 
enemy  to  the  health  of  e;^ery  being  is  found  in  the 
malodorous  portion  of  its  own  exhalations.  This  is 
most  clearly  apparent  with  respect  to  sewage;  and 
the  attention  of  sanitary  authorities  has  been  rightl}'" 
directed,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  removal  of  this 
notorious ''self-poison."  I  may,  however,  point  out 
that  the  habit  of  the  cat,  which  buries  its  excre- 
ment immedicUehj,  is  better  than  that  of  allowing  it 
to  ferment  and  distill,  so  as  to  give  out  a  maximum  of 
odor. 

That  the  atmosphere  in  rooms  which  are  inhabited, 
even  when  no  air  from  drains,  etc.,  forces  its  way  in, 
soon  becomes  loaded  with  "self-poison,"  has,  of  course, 
long  been  recognized;  but,  indeed,  too  little  attention 
has  been  paid  to  the  fact  that  these  exhalations  are 
not  only  dispersed  in  the  surrounding  air,  but  are  also 
caught  up  and  retained  by  the  objects  in  the  room,  to 
be  again,  on  occasion,  given  out.  So  long  as  a  dwell- 
ing-room is  abundantly  ventilated  there  is  no  danger; 


The  Air  in  Rooms.  ini 

and  followers  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sj^stcm  are  in 
this  respect  much  better  off  than  those  who  are  mis- 
clothed;  for  they  can  not  only  sleep  with  open  win- 
dow, but  also,  as  they  are  not  afraid  of  draught,  and 
have  less  need  of  external  warmth,  can  work  with 
open  windows  and  doors.  I  may  here  remark  that 
while  the  air  in  a  room  remains,  through  ventilation, 
free  from  poison,  its  temperature  may,  without  be- 
coming too  cold,  sink  much  lower  than  when,  in  the 
absence  of  ventilation,  it  contains  poisonous  matter. 
"Self -poison,"  in  fact,  chills;  but  I  know  wool-wearers 
who  work  in  winter  by  open  windows,  which,  for 
them,  is  the  right  thing  to  do,  as  they  run  no  risk  of 
being  chilled. 

The  difficulty  begins  when  the  cold  necessitates  the 
warming  of  the  rooms;  proper  ventilation  then  be- 
comes expensive;  for  the  warmth  goes  out  simultane- 
ously with  the  vitiated  air,  so  that  most  people  resign 
themselves  to  the  inevitable ;  keep  their  windows  shut, 
and  live  in  a  fusty  atmosphere. 

I  believe  that  the  danger  thus  incurred  would  be 
greatly  lessened  if  all  those  objects,  which  absorb  the 
noxious  exhalations,  were  removed  from  the  room. 
If  such  absorbents  would  retain  the  exhalations, 
their  presence  would  be  a  benefit;  but  warmth  and 
moisture  cause  them  to  give  these  exhalations  out 
again,  and  they  are  therefore  malodorous  and  continue 
so.  After  a  close  examination  of  the  subject,  I  am  in 
a  position  to  affirm  the  unwholesomeness  of  dust  in 
rooms.  It  is  only  necessary  to  inhale  the  odor  from 
under  a  piece  of  furniture,  from  which  the  dust  is  not 
regularly  removed,  to  be  convinced  of  this;  or  to 
compare  the  very  different  smell  of  the  atmosj^here  of 


132  The  Air  in  Rooms. 

a  room  before  and  after  it  has  been  thorouirhlv 
cleaned  and  dusted  out.  Further  consideration  of 
what  constitutes  the  dust  in  rooms,  shows  that  this 
offensive  smell  is  less  that  of  the  dust  particles  jt?6r  «<?, 
than  of  the  fetid  odors  taken  up  by  them. 

The  following  are  mainly  the  constituents  of  the 
dust  in  the  rooms:  (a)  Earth  dust:  We  know  that 
the  earth  readily  absorbs  odors,  and  gives  them  forth 
again  under  the  influence  of  warmth  and  moisture; 
hence  the  dangerous  ground  miasmas,  [b)  Coal  dust: 
Coal  has  so  strong  an  absorbing  power,  that  it  has 
long  been  used  as  a  deodorizeh  It  seems  to  retain 
odors  more  tenaciously  than  earth  dust;  however, 
coal  dust  cannot  be  considered  harmless,  (c)  Vege- 
table-fibre dust:  This  proceeds  from  the  linen  and 
cotton  materials  of  clothes,  etc. ;  and  from  the  drop- 
pings of  horses,  etc.,  in  the  streets;  also  from  the 
wear  and  tear  of  floors  and  wooden  objects.  It  is 
clear  that  vegetable-fibre  dust  must  act  in  a  manner 
similar  to  vegetable  fibre  in  clothing. 

Dust,  thus  constituted,  cannot  but  be  very  danger- 
ous adjuncts  to  a  room,  since,  if  allowed  to  remain, 
it  becomes  poisonous;  and,  when  it  is  disturbed  and 
drawn  into  the  lungs,  it  has  not  only  an  irritating  effect, 
but,  becoming  moist,  gives  out  its  noxious  odors  within 
the  body.  The  disagreeable  odor,  when  a  dusty  floor  is 
wetted,  is  well  known,  and  a  damp  atmosphere  suffices 
to  let  loose  the  smell.  Hence  follows  the  recommen- 
dation, not  only  to  remove  the  dust  of  rooms  as  often 
and  as  thoroughly  as  possible,  but  also  to  adopt  cer- 
tain methods  of  doing  it.  In  dealing  with  the  dust  in 
rooms,  most  ladies,  and  their  servants,  make  three 
mistakes. 


The  Air  in  Rooms.  133 

The  first  consists  in  the  dust  being  more  driven 
and  scattered  about  the  room  than  actually  removed. 
If  a  room,  of  which  the  windows  are  closed,  is  swept 
out,  and  the  furniture  wiped  down,  it  looks  compara- 
tively clean;  but  it  is  not  so;  because  a  large  portion 
of  the  dust  has  deposited  itself  on  the  walls,  and  on 
projections,  such  as  picture-frames,  mirrors,  etc. ;  be- 
tween the  books  on  the  shelves,  and  behind  the 
heavier  furniture  standing  against  the  wall.  ISTor  are 
things  much  improved  by  the  opening  of  one  or  more 
windows  on  the  same  side  of  the  room.  What  is 
needed  is  a  thorough  draught  of  wind;  and  if  a  room 
has  only  windows  on  one  side,  a  window  in  the  pas- 
sage, or  elsewhere,  should  be  opened  to  cause  such  a 
draught  as  will  really  carry  the  dust  out  of  the  room. 
Windy  weather  is,  of  course,  best  for  this  purpose,  to 
which  I  attach  so  much  importance  that  I  would 
recommend  the  sweeping-out  of  rooms  to  be  deferred 
when,  in  the  absence  of  wind,  it  is  impracticable  to 
obtain  a  good  draught. 

A  way  in  which  to  secure  important  help  in  getting 
rid  of  the  dust  by  means  of  the  wind,  is  to  attach  a 
large  piece  of  pasteboard  to  a  wooden  handle,  and, 
after  the  room  has  been  swept,  to  stir  the  air,  driving 
the  minute  dust  out  of  the  corners  and  angles,  away 
from  the  walls,  preventing  it  from  settling  anywhere, 
until  the  room  smells  as  if  it  were  free  from  dust. 
No  sense  can  be  so  relied  on  for  accuracy  in  this  re- 
spect, as  that  of  smell:  long  after  no  more  dust  can 
be  seen,  the  nose  will  detect  it. 

A  second  mistake,  is  the  belief  that  through  mois- 
ture (tea-leaves  on  carpets,  or  a  damp  cloth  on 
wooden  floors)  the  dust  is  prevented  from  rising,  and 


lli-i  7 'Ac  Air  iu  ICooiiis. 

is  therefore  removed.  Some,  of  course,  is  removed, 
but  only  that  which  is  on  the  floor,  and  that  not  en- 
tirely. The  fine  dust,  clinging  to  the  walls  and  ceil- 
ing, can  only  be  dealt  with  by  stirring  the  air  as  just 
described.  And  it  is  this  fine  dust  which  is  most 
dangerous,  for  it  consists  of  specifically  light  organic 
matters,  while  the  heavier  mineral  dust  sinks  to  the 
floor.  The  third  mistake  is,  the  habit  of  overlooking 
tlie  dust,  which  is  more  diflicult  to  get  at,  behind  fur- 
niture, pictures,  mirrors,  and  so  on.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary to  smell  at  these  places,  to  be  convinced  that 
they  must  conspire  to  vitiate  the  atmosphere.  The 
removal  of  such  dust  would  be  easier  if  all  furniture 
stood  on  casters;  but  if  the  furniture  is  not  placed 
quite  close  against  the  wall,  a  stick  may  be  intro- 
duced to  loosen  the  dust,  etc.,  so  that  it  may  be 
driven  out  when  the  air  is  stirred. 

Another  matter  pertaining  to  the  atmosphere  in 
rooms,  relates  to  the  flooring  and  the  furniture. 
Proofs  of  how  eagerly  and  copiously  offensive  odors 
are  absorbed  by  wood,  (which  gives  them  out  again 
whenever  wetted,)  are  accessible  to  any  one  who 
likes  to  try  the  simplest  experiments.  I  have  no 
longer  any  doubt  that  wood,  of  which  the  surface  is 
not  painted  or  polished,  takes  up  the  exhalations  of 
the  body  in  the  same  manner  as  do  textures  of  vege- 
table fibre  when  used  as  clothing. 

Every  one  is  familiar  with  the  disagreeable 
smell  of  a  room  in  which  there  is  rough  woodwork, 
such  as  register-boxes,  deed-chests,  book-stands,  and 
the  like,  in  (German)  government  oftices.  The  gen- 
eral ill-health  among  those  who  work  in  these  offices, 
which  is  ascribed  to   tlic   sedentary  nature  of   their 


Tlie  Air  in  lioaius.  135 

labor,  is  certainly  not  attributable  to  tliat  alone,  but 
partly  also  to  the  exceptionally  bad  atmosphere, 
mainly  caused  by  the  very  old,  Avooden  lumber, 
charged  with  evil  odors. 

All  woodwork  in  rooms,  including  furniture  and 
flooring,  (the  former  not  only  externally  and  in  front, 
but  also  internally  and  at  the  back,)  should,  there- 
fore, be  treated  with  varnish,  oil  paint,  linseed  oil,  or 
some  similar  preparation,  which  will  have  the 
effect  of  closing  the  pores  of  the  wood.  One  of  the 
most  important  sources  of  lurking  self-poison,  will 
thus  be  removed. 

Many  people  object  to  sitting  on  upholstered  fur- 
niture; some  find  it  too  warm;  others  complain  that 
it  has  an  "unpleasant  feeling "  only.  Now,  all  so- 
called  ''  feelings  "  proceed  from  odorous  matters,  and 
the  materials  of  vegetable  fibre  in  the  stuffing  of  a 
well-used  piece  of  upholstery,  will  be  found,  on  ex- 
amination, to  emit  a  repulsive  smell.  Here,  there- 
fore, is  another  source  of  vitiated  atmosphere  in 
living-rooms,  which  makes  itself  felt  as  soon  as  the 
windows  are  closed.  Indeed,  the  seeds  of  disease  may 
lurk  m  upholstered  furniture.  A  medical  friend  has 
related  to  me  the  following  incident:  He  was  attacked 
by  a  disease,  at  first  inexplicable,  but  afterwards  de- 
claring itself  as  the  form  of  intermittent  fever  preva- 
lent in  the  tropics,  and  he  was  for  a  long  time  quite 
unable  to  discover  the  cause.  On  a  subsequent  pro- 
fessional visit  to  the  house  of  a  clergyman  in  his  dis- 
trict, the  matter  was  explained.  The  clergyman, 
previously  an  African  missionarj^,  incidentally  men- 
tioned, pointing  to  an  American  chair,  that  he  had 
lain  m  it,  in  Africa,  for  two  years,  ill  with  intermit- 


136  The  Air  in  Iloo)iis. 

tent  fever.  Shortly  before  my  medical  friend's 
attack,  he  had  had  occasion  to  sit  in  this  chair  for  a 
considerable  time. 

My  sister,  resident  in  New  York,  has  told  me  that 
one  of  the  best-known  American  physicians  in  that 
city,  once  remarked  to  her  that  no  house  ought  to  be 
inhabited  for  more  than  sixty  years;  but  should  then 
be  pulled  down,  because  it  is  infected  by  all  the  dis- 
eases of  those  who  have  ever  dwelt  there.  He  was 
right.  Probably  every  reader  has  at  some  time  or 
other,  on  entering  an  old  house,  full  of  woodwork, 
been  impressed  with  the  unwholesome  smell.  What 
is  then  to  be  done  ?  My  renders  will  scarcely  recon- 
cile themselves  to  the  radical  remedy  suggested  by 
the  American  physician,  nor  do  I  consider  it  neces- 
sary. If  all  plain  wood  were  to  be  thoroughly  oiled 
or  varnished,  I  believe  that  old  houses  would  no 
longer  be  haunted  by  such  evil  spirits.  As  regards 
ordinary,  upholstered  furniture,  it  would  be  a  great 
•step  in  advance,  to  discontinue  its  use  in  the  rooms 
usually  inhabited,  and,  if  new  upholstery  be  procured, 
it  should  be  "Sanatory  Woolen."  I  have  had  the 
furniture  for  my  daughter,  on  her  marriage,  made  in 
this  manner  by  a  firm  of  upholsterers  here,  and  find 
that  it  can  be  easily  so  made  without  adding  to  its 
cost,  or  detracting  from  its  appearance.  Ordinary 
upholstery  can  also  be  altered  to  "Sanatory  Woolen." 
I  particularly  caution  my  readers  against  old,  uphol- 
stered heir-looms,  to  which  the  remarks  of  the  Amer- 
ican physician  respecting  houses,  quoted  above,  are 
entirely  ap]»licable. 

In  conclusion,  I  fear  I  must  inflict  a  deep  wound 
on  the  housewifely  heart.     If  the  nose  be  applied  to 


Cold  Baths.  137 

white  window-curtains,  even  after  they  have  been  up 
a  very  sliort  time,  they  will  be  found  to  smell  like 
"dirty  wash,"  and  are  therefore  just  as  injurious  to 
the  atmosphere  in  the  room.  Whoever  can  afford  it, 
should  have  woolen  curtains,  and  v/hoever  cannot,  has 
the  economical  alternative  of  dispensing  with  curtains 
altogether.  I  have  never  permitted  their  use  in  my 
study,  and  I  therefore  know,  from  experience,  that 
they  are  not  necessary. 

COLD   BATHS. 

(1881.) 

FROM  time  to  time  I  have  encountered  persons, 
w^ho  declared  that  the  Sanatory  Woolen  Cloth- 
ing did  them  no  good,  but  made  them  languid  and 
nervous.  At  first,  I  attributed  this  to  the  early  stage 
of  their  experience;  but  w^hen  similar  complaints 
were  made,  in  cases  where  the  System  had  been 
adopted  for  twelve  months,  it  became  evident  that 
there  must  be  some  other  cause.  I  am  indebted,  for 
the  discovery  of  this  cause,  to  the  circumstance  of 
my  attention  having  been  drawn  to  the  fact  that 
similar  symptoms  are  constantly  observed  in  cases  of 
excessive  use  of  shower,  and  other  cold  baths.  On 
inquny,  I  ascertained  that  all  those  who  had  made 
the  above-mentioned  complaints,  regularly  took  such 
baths.  Before  I  advocated  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  I  had  spoken  against  the  too  frequent  use  of 
so  strong  a  stimulant,  and  what  I  then  said  is  espe- 
cially applicable  to  persons  w^earing  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing.  The  Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  attracts 
the  blood  to  the  skin,  exerting  an  abiding  and  ben- 


138  Cold  JkaJis. 

eficial  influence;  the  reaction  of  a  cold  bath  does  the 
same  thing,  and  exerts  a  similar  influence  for  a  short 
time.  The  action  of  each,  taken  separately,  is  good; 
hut,  combined  in  excess,  the  effect  is  bad,  just  as  two 
good  meals,  taken  together,  would  be  unwholesome. 
For  wearers  of  ordinary  clothing,  cold  baths  are  ben- 
eficial, when  not  used  in  excess  or  too  frequently, 
because  the  linen  or  cotton  shirt  has  the  bad  effect  of 
driving  the  blood  away  from  the  skin.  To  such  per- 
sons, the  cold  bath  induces  an  increased  circulation 
of  blood  at  the  surface,  at  least  for  a  time.  But  dry 
woolen  clothing,  after  a  cold  bath,  causes  such  a  flow 
of  blood  to  the  surface  that  the  supply  to  the  brain 
and  the  intestines  is  deficient.  We  here  again  see 
that  nature's  laws  must  be  respected.  The  wearer  of 
Sanatory  Woolen  Clothing  must  take  pattern  from 
the  woolen-coated  animal,  which  does  not  throw  off 
its  clothing,  go  into  cold  water,  dry  itself,  and  then 
resume  its  dry  clothing,  but  goes,  coat  and  all,  into 
the  water.  The  cooling  effect  of  the  evaporation  set 
up  through  the  drying  of  the  wet  coat  on  the  body 
counteracts  the  excessive  tendency  to  expansion  of 
t'he  surface  blood-vessels;  and  it  is  precisely  to  this 
evaporation  that  is  due  the  lasting,  refresliing  effect 
of  the  bath.  Let  the  wearer  of  Sanatory  Woolen 
Clothing  follow  this  example,  that  is,  if  he  wants  to 
be  refreshed,  let  him  wet  his  fleece.  The  bod}""  should 
not  be  dried  ;  and  in  warm,  dry  weather  the  shirt 
should  be  dij)ped  in  the  water,  or  sponged  over,  and 
then  the  dry  overclothing  put  on.  Tlie  effect  is  very 
j)leasant,  affording  an  enjoj-'ment  from  which  the 
wearer  of  linen  or  cotton  is  debarred,  and  preventing 
the  languid   feeling  often   experienced,  under  other 


The,  fSock  or  iSiock'uKj.  ];;0 

conditions,  after  bathing.  But  here  again  moderation 
is  a  golden  rule.  As  already  explained,  wool-wearers 
do  not  require  the  cold  bath  for  its  stimulating  effect; 
while,  as  the  secretions  pass  freely  away  in  vapor,  in- 
stead of  being  turned  to  water  on  the  skin,  the  latter 
remains  clean  and  wholesome.  Wool-wearers  should, 
therefore,  study  their  feelings  in  the  matter,  and  be 
guided  by  them.  Summer  bathing  in  the  open  air, 
should  be  conducted  on  the  same  plan.  The  shirt 
should  be  kept  on,  or  wetted  before  it  is  resumed;  the 
best  bathing  costume  is  a  combination-garment  of 
short-sleeved  shirt  and  short  drawers,  fitting  closely, 
and  made  for  the  purpose.  The  bather  simply  keeps 
this  on,  and,  after  pressing  out  the  dripping  water, 
draws  on  his  outer  clothing. 

The  wetting  of  the  underclothing  will  be  found  a 
capital  substitute  for  the  refreshment  of  a  bath  when 
the  bath  cannot  be  had. 

To  dispel  all  misgivings  on  this  point,  I  may  re- 
mark that  experience  has  long  since  shown  that  pure 
woolen  clothing,  when  wet,  may,  without  any  injury 
to  the  body,  be  allowed  to  dry  on  it.  A  constant 
proof  of  this  is  afforded  by  the  woolen-clothed  fisher 
population  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  who  are  noted 
for  their  splendid  health. 


THE  SOCK  OR  STOCKINGS, 

(1881.) 

HAVE  often  been  requested  to  offer  suggestions 
respecting  the  sock  or  stocking,  and  I  believe 
that  I  am  now  in  a  position  to  give  full  technical  di- 
rections respecting  it. 


I 


140  Tlie  Stu-k  or  tStockhtfj. 

I  formerly  attributed  the  troubles  to  which  the  feet 
of  civilized  mankind  are  subject,  to  the  faulty  con- 
struction of  the  shoe.  I  therefore  devised  the  San- 
atory Woolen  shoe,  and  only  required  of  the  wearer 
that  the  sock  or  stocking  should  be  woolen.  The  low 
partition  which  I  introduced  into  my  shoe  to  separate 
the  great  toe  from  that  next  to  it,  and  to  keep  the 
former  in  its  proper  position,  whereby  its  powerful 
and  heretofore  disused  muscle  was  brought  into  play 
in  walking,  first  caused  me  to  examine  the  subject  of 
the  stocking  more  closel3^  I  remarked  that  the  sep- 
aration of  the  flesh  of  the  great  toe  from  that  of  its 
neighbor  had  a  very  beneficial  result.  It  is  difficult 
to  preserve  perfect  cleanliness  of  the  feet  between 
the  toes,  where  the  two  surfaces  are  pressed  together, 
inducing  an  offensive  condition  of  the  skin  quite  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  foot. 

The  freer  exhalation  secured  by  the  Sanatory  shoe, 
had  improved  the  condition  of  my  feet,  but  the  skin 
between  the  toes  could  not  be  said  to  be  restored  to  a 
healthy  state.  Between  the  great  toe  and  its  neigh- 
bor, however,  which  were  separated  by  the  little 
partition  referred  to  above,  and  by  the  fold  in  the 
stocking,  which  this  caused,  the  cleanliness  was  per- 
fect. I  concluded  that  this  must  be  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  inside  surfaces  of  the  toes  were  no  longer 
in  contact ;  and  I  remembered  that  persons,  who 
suffer  much  with  their  feet,  find  great  relief  from 
wrapping  a  rag  round  each  toe.  I  was  thus  led  to 
design  a  sock  like  a  glove,  with  a  separate  receptacle 
for  each  toe. 

I  have  now  worn  this  sock  for  about  three  months, 
and  I  can   say  that  it  completely  answers  its  purpose. 


Tlie  Sanatory  Woolen  Bed,  141 

The  skin  between  all  my  toes,  has  become  as  clean 
and  normal  as  that  between  the  fingers  of  the  hand ; 
all  offensive  matter  has  disappeared,  and  the  toes  are 
much  more  supple.  The  improvement  is  not  confined 
to  the  toes,  but  extends  to  the  entire  sole,  particularly 
to  the  fore  part,  where  formerly,  if  I  walked  much, 
I  always  suffered.  During  my  last  foot-tour,  I  did 
not  suffer  at  all,  an  exemption  which  I  attribute  to 
the  ventilation  channels  formed  by  the  double  layer 
of  wool  between  the  toes. 

I  can  therefore  strongly  recommend  this  form  of 
sock  or  stocking  to  every  one  affected  with  disorders 
of  the  feet.  In  cases  where  tw^o  or  three  toes  have 
grown  together,  a  special  construction  of  sock  is,  of 
course,  necessary.  There  need  be  no  fear  that  these 
divided-toe  socks  will  necessitate  the  wearing  of  un- 
duly broad  shoes,  if  the  former  be  not  made  too 
thick.  Some  persons  make  the  objection  that  it  re- 
quires more  time  to  draw  the  stockings  on.  They  do  at 
first,  but  practice  soon  puts  that  right,  and  even  if  an 
extra  minute  be  consumed,  it  is  not  too  much  to  pay 
for  the  pleasure  of  having  the  skin  between  the  toes 
IS  pure  and  healthy  as  that  between  the  fingers. 

THE  SANATORY  WOOLEN  BED. 

(1882.) 

rr^HE  Sanitary  Woolen  System  requires  that  the 
-J-  materials  of  the  bedding  and  clothing,  shaU 
consist  of  animal  fibres  only.  For  the  stufiing  of 
pillows,  feathers  are  good  and  sanatory, — though 
somewhat  too  soft,  and  too  apt  to  work  through  the 


142  The  Sanatory  Woolen  Bed. 

felt  covering.  For  the  stuffing  of  mattresses,  only 
two  materials  are  permissible — horsehair  and  wool. 

The  horse-hair  of  commerce  is  assumed  to  be  animal 
fibre;  but  upon  this  point  considerable  deception  is 
practiced  by  unprincipled  dealers.  They  pay,  per- 
haps, 3s.  per  lb.  for  horse-hair,  and  probably  not  less 
for  ox-hair  and  cow-hair,  which  are  about  equally 
serviceable.  When,  therefore,  so-called  horse-hair 
mattresses,  weighing  25  lbs.,  are  sold  at  from  75s.  to 
90s.,  is  it  likely  that  the  contents  are  pure  animal 
hair?  Where  would  be  the  j^rofits  of  the  dealer  and 
the  manufacturer?  There  are  various  vegetable  sub- 
stitutes, which  so  resemble  horse-hair,  that  they  can 
be  distincruished  from  it  bv  the  closest  examination 
only.  For  one  example,  take  the  so-called  shadow- 
grass.  In  fact,  unadulterated  horse-hair  is,  nowadaj^s, 
even  more  rare  than  unadulterated  wine.  This 
fact  taken  together  with  the  much  higher  price  of 
horse-hair,  led  to  the  selection  of  wool  as  the  material 
for  stuffing  the  Sanatory  mattress. 

Here,  however,  other  obstacles  are  encountered. 
Only  carbonized  wool;  i.e.,  wool  from  which  all 
admixtifre  of  vegetable  fibre  has  been  chemically 
separated, — can  be  relied  on  as  pure.  Even  among 
tlie  raw  materials  are  scattered  bits  of  straw,  and  hav, 
and  burrs.  But  mattresses  stuffed  with  carbonized 
or  raw  wool,  would  not  be  sufficiently  elastic,  and 
would  become,  after  a  short  use,  as  liard  as  boards. 

The  present  manufacturer  of  the  Saiiatory  Woolen 
bedding,  had,  however,  been  accustomed  to  pre]>are 
wool-stuffed  mattresses,  (although  inclosed  in  a  linen 
ticking,)  as  completely  and  lastingly  elastic  as  the 
best  horse-hair  mattresses.     This  stuffing  was  made 


The  Sanatory  Woolen  Bed.  143 

up  of  tailors'  clippings,  (therefore,  of  unworn  clean 
material,)  coarsely  shredded.  By  forming  this  mate- 
rial into  balls,  placing  them  close  together  and  sur- 
rounding them  with  carbonized  wool,  an  excellent  elas- 
tic stuffing  is  produced.  Before  I  entered  into  relations 
with  this  manufacturer,  tailors'  clij)pings  of  mixed 
materials,  as  well  as  those  of  all-wool,  were  used  in- 
discriminately as  stuffing  for  mattresses.  At  that 
time  I  had  a  clear  perception  of  the  sanatory  effects 
of  wool,  but  I  was  not  so  well  informed  with  respect 
to  the  unsanatory  nature  of  linen.  I  knew  of  the 
merits  of  wool,  but  had  not  fathomed  the  pernicious 
qualities  of  vegetable  fibre.  I  considered  it  sufficient, 
if  (1)  the  coverings,  (2)  the  mattress-ticking,  (3)  the 
upper  layer  of  mattress-stuffing,  were  of  pure  wool; 
and  I  saw  no  objection  to  mingling  vegetable  fibre 
with  the  innermost  stuffing  of  the  mattress. 

As  soon,  however,  as  I  was  led  to  recognize  the 
injurious  effects  of  vegetable  fibre,  even  when  not 
actually  in  contact  with  the  body,  I  insisted  that 
such  of  the  tailors'  clippings  as  were  not  of  pure  wool, 
should  be  carefully  sorted  out.  To  this  the  manu- 
facturer agreed,  premising,  however,  that  it  was 
impossible  absolutely  to  insure  that  no  clipping 
adulterated  with  cotton,  or  with  tailors'  thread 
sewed  in  it,  would  escape  the  attention  of  the  sorters. 
These  clippings  cannot  be  carbonized;  as  the  process 
is  only  practicable  with  half-woolen  material,  in 
which  one  thread  is  all  wool  and  the  other  all  cotton; 
the  destruction  of  the  latter,  b}^  carbonization,  leav- 
ing only  the  separate  woolen  threads^  which  easily 
dry.  But  when  cotton  is  mixed  with  each  thread  of 
the  material,  carbonization  does  not  cause  the  web  to 


144  Hie  Platlnuia  Lamp  Dtodorizer. 

fall  to  pieces,  and  the  consequent  difficulty  of  drying 
the  material,  makes  the  process  too  costly  and  trouble- 
some. It  is  obviously  of  more  importance  that  the 
stuffing  of  the  pillows  should  be  absolutely  pure,  than 
that  that  of  the  mattress  should  be  so;  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  so  much,  at  least,  can  be  secured. 


THE  PLATINUM  LAMP  DEODORIZER. 

(1882.) 

I  HAVE  long  felt  that  the  difficulty  of  properly 
ventilating  the  rooms  of  our  dwelling  houses  in 
winter,  presents  the  principal  obstacle  to  the  practical 
carrying-out  of  my  system,  which,  in  addition  to  its 
title  of  "  Sanitary  Woolen,"  may  be  termed  a  "  Pure 
Air,"  or  "Anti-offensive  Odors  System."  I  was, 
therefore,  anxious  on  account  of  the  approaching 
winter,  as,  hitherto,  during  that  season,  the  confine- 
ment indoors  had  invariably  led  to  my  being  troubled 
with  a  cough,  but  every  j'-ear  in  a  lesser  degree  since 
I  adopted  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sj^stem.  This  winter 
the  cough  made  no  sign  until  Christmas  Eve,  when  I 
read  aloud  from  a  new  book,  to  my  family,  uninter- 
reptedly,  for  nearly  three  hours.  Towards  the  end  of 
the  reading,  I  became  hoarse,  and  the  next  morning 
the  old  trouble  in  the  throat  had  reappeared.  There 
was  nothing  very  remarkable  in  my  having  become 
hoarse  after  reading  aloud  for  three  hours,  but  for 
my  experience  of  a  fortnight  previous,  when  I  had 
lectured  on  two  consecutive  days,  at  Miilhausen  and 
Basel,  respecting  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System.  On 
the  first  day,  the  conversation,  lecture,  and  discus- 


The  Platinum  Larap  Deodorizer.  145 

sion,  lasted  almost  without  interruption  from  2  p.m. 
to  3  A.M.,  or  thirteen  hours;  on  the  second  day  from 
11  A.M.  to  1  A.M.,  or  fourteen  hours;  yet  I  was  in  no 
way  rendered  hoarse  by  these  exertions.  It  was 
therefore  clear  that  there  must  be  some  other  cause 
for  the  hoarseness  on  Christmas  Eve,  than  the  mere 
mechanical  exertion  of  the  organs  of  speech.  When 
I  referred  to  the  circumstance  the  next  day,  my 
daughter,  who  attends  a  weekly  meeting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reading  aloud,  remarked  that  hoarseness  sets 
in  much  sooner  when  reading  aloud  than  in  ordinary 
speaking,  and  she  attributed  this  to  the  smell  of  the 
paper.  This  observation  served  to  explain  to  me  the 
sadden  affection  of  my  throat,  and  to  afford  another 
confirmation  of  the  injurious  influence  of  vegetable 
fibres  upon  health.  I  was  thus  led  to  consider  in 
what  manner  I  could  improve  the  unwholesome  at- 
mosphere engendered  by  the  mass  of  papers  and 
books  with  which  my  study  was  and  is  crowded;  and 
my  glance  fell  on  a  small  object  which  had  stood  in 
my  room  unused  for  nearly  two  years — the  spirit 
lamp,  with  platinum  spiral,  constructed  by  the  well- 
known  DOBEEEINER. 

The  lamp  was  recommended  to  me  some  time  ago, 
as  a  contrivance  for  continuing  the  diffusion  of  per- 
fumes into  the  air  of  rooms;  and  I  intended  when  I 
purchased  it  that  it  should  diffuse  odors  by  which  I 
might  illustrate  some  points  in  my  lectures ;  but 
I  never  happened  to  make  the  experiment.  I  now, 
however,  determined  to  use  the  lamp  in  order  to 
diffuse  ozogen  throughout  the  room,  that  admirable 
agent  for  destroying  odors;  and  the  result  quite  ex- 
ceeded my  expectations. 


146  TliG  Platinum  Lamp  Deodorizer. 

Tlie  instrument  in  question  is  an  ordinary  glass, 
spirit  lamp,  with  a  spiral-shaped  thread  of  platinum 
encircling  the  upper  end  of  the  wick.  When  the 
lamp  is  lighted,  it  burns  with  a  flame,  but  as  soon  as 
the  platinum  spiral  glows  and  the  metal  holder  of  the 
wick  is  sufliciently  warm,  the  flame  will  either  expire, 
or,  if  this  be  delayed  too  long,  may  be  extinguished 
by  quickly  popping  the  glass  cover  on  and  off  again, 
when  the  platinum  spiral  will  remain  in  a  glow  until 
all  the  spirit  in  the  lamp  has  evaporated;  for  plati- 
num has  this  remarkable  peculiarity  of  continuing  to 
glow  in  warm  spirit-vapor. 

The  practical  effect  of  this  is,  that,  as  the  air  im- 
mediately surrounding  the  spiral  becomes  heated,  it 
rises,  and  is  replaced  by  air  drawn  in  from  all  sides 
under  the  glowing  spiral,  through  which  it  is  com- 
pelled to  pass,  causing  all  combustible  matter  con- 
tained in  the  passing  air  to  be  consumed.  If  half  a 
dozen  smokers  were  to  endeavor  to  fill  an  ordinary- 
sized  room,  in  which  such  a  lamp  is  burning,  with 
tobacco  smoke,  they  would  not  succeed.  The  fumes 
would  be  continuously  drawn  through  the  lamp  and 
consumed.  The  same  thing  happens  to  all  odorous 
matters  in  the  air  of  the  room.  If  the  platinum  lamp 
be  lighted  in  a  room  after  dinner,  however  strongly 
the  atmosphere  may  be  charged  with  odors,  in  a  few 
minutes  all  trace  of  them  will  vanish. 

This  effect  of  the  lamp  in  purifying  the  air,  was 
already  known  to  others,  and  was,  therefore,  not  dis- 
covered by  me.  What  I  did  discover  is,  that  if  a 
Hmall  quanty  of  ozogen  be  mixed  with  the  spirit,  it  is 
not  at  once  consumed,  but  continuously  mingles  with 
the  atmosphere  in  very  fine  ^proportions.     Its  action 


The  Platinum  Lamp  Deodorizer.  147 

is  then  twofold:  it  destroys  all  offensive  smells  in  the 
atmosphere;  and  it  is  inhaled  into  the  body,  where  it 
develops  this  deodorizing  faculty  in  an  extraordinary 
degree. 

Drawing  on  my  own  experience  for  a  guide  for 
others,  I  may  state  that  I  was  formerly  greatly 
troubled  with  indigestion.  Under  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  the  daily  recurrence  of  flatulence 
and  heartburn  had  nearly  ceased  ;  but  they  were, 
occasionally,  still  felt,  especially  in  w^inter,  although 
in  a  much  milder  form.  My  suffering  from  wind  in 
the  intestines  had  not,  however,  undergone  so  radical 
a  change;  I  was  much  less  troubled,  but  still  it  made 
itself  felt  daily.  In  the  last  seven  weeks,  during 
which  I  have  allowed  the  platinum  lamp  to  burn  in 
my  study  and  sitting-room  throughout  each  day,  a 
very  great  alteration  has  taken  place.  Of  flatulence 
and  heartburn  there  has  not  been  the  least  trace,  while 
the  trouble  from  wind  has  been  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum. 

The  deodorizing  influence  of  the  platinum  lamp,  has 
extended  to  the  evacuations,  which  are  much  less 
offensive  ;  and  they  have  been  delayed  for  several 
hours  without  any  detrimental  effect.  This  last  cii-- 
cumstance  is  strong  evidence  of  the  correctness  of 
my  doctrine  of  the  ordinarj^  sensations — that  they  are 
all,  without  exception,  produced  by  odorous  matters. 
This  special  sensation  is  locally  felt,  jiist  as  is  the 
opposite  sensation  of  hunger,  but  is  actually  due  to 
a  certain  concentration  in  the  body,  of  the  odorous 
emanations  from  the  digested  food.  The  subse- 
quent relief  is  not  merel}^  mechanical,  but  it  is 
caused  by  the  removal  of  these  "  noxious "  emana- 


148  The  Platinum  Lamp  Deodorizer. 

tions,  with  their  depressing  and  enervating  influence 
on  the  whole  system.  The  concentration  is  retarded 
by  the  deodorizing  effect  of  the  ozogen  diffused  by 
the  platinum  lamp.  It  is  a  common  experience  that 
in  traveling,  and  generally  with  change  of  air,  the 
sensation  above  referred  to  is  absent,  even  for  days  ; 
the  reason  being  that  the  impulse  given  by  the  change 
of  air,  to  the  exhalation  of  the  skin,  prevents  the 
necessary  concentration  of  the  odorous  matter. 

If  we  consider  the  great  influence,  upon  health,  of 
the  gases  which  accumulate  in  the  intestines,  and 
which  must  be  abnormal,  inasmuch  as  healthy  wild 
animals  are  free  from  them,  the  experience  described 
above  is  highly  significant. 

The  lamp,  however,  is  open  to  one  objection,  which 
should  not  be  too  lightly  estimated.  When  I  began 
to  burn  it,  I  was  warned  that  minute  quantities  of 
platinum  would  evaporate,  and  induce  headache. 
This  result  made  itself  felt  after  the  lamp  had  been 
burning  for  several  weeks,  and  its  use  had  to  be  dis- 
continued for  some  days,  until  the  headache  ceased. 
This  fixes  a  limit  to  the  use  of  the  lamp.  Some  per- 
sons will  not  be  able  to  endure  it  very  long  ;  while 
those  who  are  less  sensitive  should  employ  it  only 
when  ordinary  means  of  ventilation  are  not  at  hand, 
and  even  then  not  for  too  long,  extinguishing  the 
lamp  as  soon  as  their  head  is  unpleasantly  affected. 

While  I  was  quite  unprepared  to  find  that  the 
platinum  lamp  would  accomplish  all  that  I  have 
described,  I  was  also  struck  with  what  it  failed  to 
accomplish.  I  had  hoped  that  its  effect  on  the  air  of 
the  rooms  would  be  the  removal  of  the  disturbance  in 
my  tliroat,  but  sucli  was  not  the  case.     The  complaint. 


Tlie  Platinum  Lamp'  Deodorizer.  149 

however,  assumed  so  mild  a  form  that  I  was  ahle,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  lecture  which  I  gave  at  Basel,  to 
speak  for  twenty-eight  out  of  the  sixty  hours  of  my 
entire  absence  from  home  ;  twenty-four  hours  being 
spent  on  the  railway,  and  five  in  sleep  ;  yet  my 
throat  was  rather  better  than  worse  afterwards  ;  but 
it  became  hoarser  a  week  later,  when  I  lectured  and 
spoke  for  a  period  of  seven  hours.  It  improved,  how- 
ever, when  the  barometer  fell,  and  there  was  more 
stir  in  the  outside  atmosphere,  to  the  stagnation  of 
which  the  affection  in  the  throat  was  due,  and  not  to 
the  air  in  the  rooms,  which  had  been  purified  and 
deodorized  by  the  platinum  lamp  and  ozogen. 

I  recommend  the  use  of  the  lamp  in  badly  venti- 
lated rooms,  such  as  workrooms,  offices,  schoolrooms, 
and  in  cases  in  which  the  ventilation  is  inevitably 
insufficient.  Persons  who  believe  that  they  cannot 
sleep  with  their  window  open,  whether  on  account  of 
cold,  or  of  chronic  illness,  or  because  of  the  vicinity 
of  some  ill-smelling  locality,  should  deodorize  the  air 
of  their  rooms  with  this  lamp,  bearing  in  mind  that, 
when  it  is  allowed  to  burn  too  long  in  a  room  of 
moderate  dimensions,  it  may  induce  headache. 
Lastly,  all  sufferers  from  the  disorders  which  I  have 
indicated  as  arising  during  the  period  of  digestion, 
will  find  great  relief  by  using  this  lamp. 

DiEECTIONS   FOE   USE    OF   THE    PlATINUM    LaMP. 

The  spirits  of  wine  must  have  a  strength  of  96^ 
"  Tralles,"  or  the  platinum  spiral  will  not  glow,  and 
be  perfectly  free  from  fusel-oil,  which,  otherwise, 
would  be  diffused  in  the  air  of  the  room.     Disappoint- 


150  Tlte  Platitnim  I^amp  J>(:odorixtr. 

ment  frequently  results  from  the  use  of  a  too-low 
grade  of  alcohol. 

Before  lighting  the  wick  for  the  first  time,  both 
wick  and  sjnral  should  be  well  sprinkled  with  spirit, 
and  the  circular  rim  of  the  metal  wick-holder  should 
be  filled.  The  flame  should  burn  three  or  four 
minutes,  (or  half  that  time  for  a  wick  already  in  use,) 
in  order  to  draw  up  sufficient  spirit  into  the  wick  to 
keep  the  platinum  glowing.  When  the  flame  has 
burned  sufliciently  long,  the  glass  cover  should  be 
popped  quickly  on  and  off  again,  extinguishing  the 
flame,  when  the  platinum  spiral  will  continue  to  glow 
until  the  spirits  in  the  lamp  are  consumed. 

Great  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  wick 
from  touching  the  spiral  at  any  point.  The  turns  of 
the  spiral  must  not  be  too  close,  or  ashes  and  dirt 
(taken  from  the  air)  will  accumulate,  and  obstruct  the 
passage  of  the  air.  When  the  platinum  is  glowing, 
the  distances  between  the  spirals  may  easily  be  ad- 
justed, if  necessary,  with  the  help  of  a  needle. 

By  pushing  the  wick  up  or  down,  more  or  fewer  of 
the  turns  in  the  spiral  can  be  made  to  glow,  but  three 
or  four  are  sufficient. 

'J'lie  lamp  should  be  screened  from  draught ;  but,  if 
a  lierht  current  of  air  causes  the  flame  to  revive,  the 
turns  are  too  far  apart,  and  should  be  gently  com- 
pressed downwards. 

To  extinguish  the  glow,  the  glass  cover  is  placed 
over  it,  and  should  be  left  until  the  lamp  is  again 
required,  as,  otherwise,  the  spirit  will  evaporate. 

If  the  spiral  is  kept  glowing  until  all  the  spirit  is 
consumed,  the  wick  will  char.  If  this  happens,  the 
charred  portion  must  be  removed,  and  the  wick  tied 


Writers^    Cramp.  151 

round  with  thin  thread,  and  trimmed  with  scissors,  so 
that  it  may  be  isolated  from  the  platinum. 

A  few  drops  of  eau  de  Cologne  or  other  perfume, 
added  to  the  spirit,  will  be  continuously  imparted  to 
the  atmosphere.  The  important,  deodorizing  effect 
of  mixing  ozogen  with  the  spirit  has  already  been  ex- 
plained. The  usual  proportion  of  ozogen  to  one  fill- 
ing of  the  lamp,  is  15  to  20  drops  ;  but  this  may  be 
varied  according  to  the  size  of  the  room  and  the  num- 
ber of  persons  in  it.  For  very  large  rooms,  and 
theaters,  tw^o  or  more  lamps  are  necessary. 

If  the  spiral  be  so  dirty  as  to  interfere  with  its 
glowing,  it  may  be  removed,  carefully  rolled  into  a 
coil,  and  polished  bright  ;  it  should  then  be  re- 
twisted  on  the  glass  tube  furnished  for  the  purpose 
into  a  spiral  shape,  and  applied  once  or  twice  round 
the  bottom  end  of  the  wick-holder,  to  which  it  will 
then  cling. 

WRITERS'  CRAMR 

(1882.) 

A  FRIEND,  who  is  over  60  years  of  age,  and  who 
has  not  yet  adopted  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sys- 
tem in  its  entirety,  writes  to  me:  "Your  account  of 
the  effect  on  your  throat,  of  the  smell  of  the  paper 
from  which  you  were  reading  aloud,  set  me  thinking, 
as  I  write  daily  for  several  hours,  and  have  always 
much  occupied  myself  with  paper.  You  may  perhaps 
remember  that  I  have  complained  to  you  respecting 
cold  in  the  hands,  especially  in  the  fingers.  Partic- 
ularly when  writing,  even  in  a  warm  room,  the  cold 


152       71  le  Sat  diary  Effects  of  Colors  or  J)i/es. 

seemed  to  penetrate  to  the  bone.  My  attention  hav- 
ing been  aroused  by  your  remarks  respecting  paper, 
I  laid  a  piece  of  woolen  cloth  on  my  writing  paper, 
so  that  the  latter  no  longer  came  into  direct  contact 
with  the  fingers.  I  immediately  experienced  a  re- 
markable improvement,  and  now,  after  trying  this 
device  for  several  weeks,  I  am  completely  freed  from 
the  inconvenience  referred  to." 

This  communication  led  me  to  suggest  that  the  ex- 
ceedingly troublesome  complaint  of  writers'  cramp,  by 
which  many  have  been  deprived  of  the  means  of 
earning  their  living,  and  with  which  medical  science 
has  hitherto  found  it  so  difficult  to  deal,  is  due  to  the 
influence  of  the  vegetable  fibre  of  paper,  and  may  be 
cured  by  the  use  of  a  strip  of  woolen  material  under 
the  hand.  The  correctness  of  this  conjecture  has 
been  strikingly  confirmed  by  the  well-known  scholar 
and  author,  Fr.  v.  IIellwald,  who  informs  me  that 
he  has  acted  on  my  suggestion,  and  has  since  been 
entirely  free  from  writers'  cramp.  Others  have  writ- 
ten me  to  a  similar  effect. 


THE  SANITARY  EFFECTS  OF  COLORS  OR 

DYES.— I. 

(1882.) 

TTIE  difficulties  which  surround  the  investigation 
of  this  subject,  whether  from  a  scientific  or  a 
])ractical  point  of  view,  are  considerable.  In  the 
first  place,  many  different  chemical  substances  and 
combinations  of  substances  have  to  be  taken  into 
account;  secondly,  the  matter  is  embarrassed  by  the 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      153 

difficulty  of  ascertaining  with  what  dye  a  material 
has  been  treated;  for,  in  the  division  of  labor  involved 
in  the  production,  the  material  may  have  passed 
through  several  hands  after  it  has  left  the  dyer,  who, 
moreover,  often  regards  his  method  of  procedure  as 
a  business  secret.  Notwithstanding  these  obstacles, 
I  have  arrived  at  a  point  where  I  can  lay  down  certain 
principles,  accompanied  by  the  needful  explanation ; 
and  I  can  do  this  the  more  easily  because  there  is  a 
remarkable  analogy  between  these  principles  and 
those  on  which  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  is  based. 
Although,  in  the  essay  on  "  The  Nature  of  Disease," 
I  have  already  stated  the  following  fundamental 
truths,  they  cannot  be  too  deeply  inculcated,  and  I 
therefore  recapitulate  them. 

If  a  strongly  concentrated  odor  be  inhaled,  or  a 
strongly  concentrated  fluid  be  swallowed,  the  smell 
or  taste  is  repulsive;  the  rapidity  of  the  voluntary 
movements,  as  measured  by  the  stop-watch,  (see 
page  T,)  is  retarded;  the  limbs  feel  heavy,  as  if 
fatigued;  the  breathing  is  more  difficult,  particularly 
when  an  odor  is  inhaled;  the  flesh  becomes  soft;  the 
body  is  distended;  the  heart  beats  more  quickly  and 
less  regularly  ;  the  mood  is  depressed.  In  other 
words,  matters  so  concentrated  induce  feelings  of 
weariness,  weakness,  languor,  and  depression;  and  if 
the  degree  of  concentration  be  intensified  to  a  certain 
point,  death  will  result. 

Rarefied  or  diluted  matters  have  a  pleasant  smell 
or  taste,  and  are  appropriately  termed  "fine."  The 
rapidity  of  the  voluntary  movements  when  measured, 
as  before  stated,  is  enhanced;  there  is  a  sense  of  light- 
ness and  vigor  in  the  limbs;  the  breathing  is  easy; 


154       The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes. 

the  heart  beats,  strongly  but  slowly;  the  mood  is 
cheerful;  in  short,  those  rarefied  or  diluted  matters 
have  a  cheering,  freshening,  invigorating,  and  whole- 
some effect.  They  are,  therefore,  conducive  to 
health  and  life,  while  concentrated  matters  are 
poisonous  and  cause  illness. 

On  these  fundamental  facts,  are  based  the  follow- 
ing principles  respecting  the  sanitary  importance  of 
colors:  It  is  well  known  that  dark  colors  are  less 
healthy  than  light  ones.  Coloring  matter  in  a  concen- 
trated condition  is  dark,  and,  in  a  rarefied  condition, 
light.  When  evaporation  from  coloring  matter  is 
inhaled,  the  odor  from  the  dark  color  is  concentrated, 
and  from  the  light  color  is  rarefied.  The  distinction  is 
especially  noticeable  in  summer,  because,  in  the  sun, 
dark  colors  absorb  more  heat,  and  therefore  evaporate 
more  freely  than  light  colors.  This  explains  why 
darkly  dyed  clothing  is  particularly  disagreeable  in 
summer,  rendering  the  atmosphere  hot,  oppressive, 
and  exhausting. 

It  is  clear  from  the  foregoing  that  the  greater  or 
less  readiness  with  which  a  coloring  matter  evapo- 
rates, constitutes  an  important  difference.  From  this, 
two  deductions  may  be  made. 

1.  Natural  colors  are  preferable  to  artificial.  When- 
ever natural  coloring  matter  is  present  in  hair  or 
wool  it  is  not  situated  on  the  surface;  either  the  inner 
pith  of  the  hair  is  colored,  or,  when  the  outer  stratum 
of  the  hair,  which  consists  of  numerous  very  minute 
Bpindle-sha])ed  cells,  is  colored,  the  coloring  matter  is 
found  in  the  centre  of  each  cell,  while  the  rind  of 
the  cell  is  colorless.  This  may  be  verified  by  examin- 
ing, through  the  microscope,  black  horse-hair  resolved 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      155 

by  sulphuric  acid  into  separate  cells.  With  dyed 
hair,  the  coloring  matter  is,  at  best,  but  equally  dis- 
tributed in  the  hair,  and  will  clearly  evaporate  more 
easily  than  natural  coloring  matter,  as  it  lies  partly 
on  the  surface,  while  the  latter  is  completely  in- 
closed. 

2.  "Fast"  dyes;  ie.,  those  which  do  not  fade — . 
are  more  wholesome  than  dyes  which  fade  readily. 
The  fading  is  generally,  although  not  always,  caused 
by  evaporation.  A  dye  which  fades  rapidly,  there- 
fore, gives  off  a  concentrated  vapor,  and  is  thus  in- 
jurious. A  dye  which  fades  or  evaporates  little, 
or  slowly,  gives  off  a  rarefied  vapor,  and  is  therefore 
wholesome.  Whether  a  color  will  fade  quickly  or 
slowly  will  depend  partly  upon  the  volatility  of  the 
coloring  matter,  and  partly  upon  the  degree  to  which 
it  penetrates  the  fibre.  The  foregoing  explains  the 
important  difference  between  indigo-black  and  other 
black  dyes;  the  former,  as  a  much  "faster"  dye,  is 
considerably  less  injurious  than  the  rapidly-fading 
logwood  dyes.  Among  the  lighter  coloring  matters, 
cochineal  is  well-known  to  be  the  "  fastest,"  and  ac- 
cordingly the  most  wholesome. 

Of  the  foregoing  propositions,  the  leading  one  is 
corroborated  by  the  following  fact.  Coloring  mat- 
ters, not  only  affect  the  health  directly  through  their 
own  nature,  but  also  by  their  relation  to  the  exhala- 
tions of  the  body.  Such  coloring  matters  as  attract 
the  "  noxious "  exhalations,  are  inferior  to  those 
which  attract  the  "  salutary  "  exhalations. 

The  precise  quantity  of  odorous  matter  which  a 
solid  body  (in  this  case  a  coloring  matter)  will 
attract,  depends,  when  other  conditions  are  equal,  on 


156       The  ISanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes. 

its  own  bulk;  in  other  words,  on  the  degree  of  its 
concentration:  a  concentrated;  i.e.,  dark — coloring 
matter  attracts  more  odorous  matter  (because  it  rep- 
resents a  greater  bulk)  than  the  same  coloring  matter 
will  when  rarefied;  i.e.,  when  of  a  lighter  shade. 
Another  well-established  fact  is,  that  all  matter,  when 
concentrated  to  a  certain  degree,  becomes  injurious; 
some  reaching  this  degree  sooner,  and  some  later. 
The  difference  between  the  "  salutary,"  and  the 
"  noxious  "  matters  of  the  exhalations  of  the  body,  is 
merely  in  the  degree  of  concentration  at  which  they 
become  injurious.  Hence  it  follows  that  whether  a 
coloring  matter  attracts  by  preference,  the  "salu- 
tary "  or  the  "  noxious  "  matters,  it  will  be  wholesome 
in  inverse  proportion  to  the  quantity  of  odor  which  it 
takes  up;  and  this  again  depends  upon  its  own  de- 
gree of  concentration — that  is  to  say,  upon  whether 
it  is  employed  to  produce  a  light  or  a  dark  dye. 
Thus,  light  colors  are,  directly  and  indirectly,  more 
wholesome  than  dark  colors. 

I  am  certain  that  those  readers  who  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  observing  for  themselves,  and  of  reflect- 
ing on  this  subject,  will  be  able  to  supply  confirma- 
tion of  what  I  have  stated.  They  are  doubtless 
familiar  with  the  fact  that  black  clotlies  are  less 
comfortable  than  light-colored  clothes,  and  that  they 
have  a  more  disagreeable  odor. 

The  effect  of  various  colored  clothing  on  the 
nerves,  was  strikingly  confirmed  by  numerous  nerve- 
measurements,  which  I  made  on  several  days  in  suc- 
cession between  8  and  9  a.m.  I  wore  the  same 
underclothing  in  eacli  case. 

In  a  brown  suit  the  average  interval  of  time   on 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      157 

ten  occasions,  required  for  the  finger  to  stop  the 
watch,  was  yffxr  P^^^ts  of  a  second;  in  an  almost 
black,  indigo-dyed  suit  the  average  on  eight  occasions 
was  yVWj  i^  ^  logwood-dyed,  black  suit  the  average 
on  twenty  occasions  was  y\nr\.  Thus  the  indigo  suit 
was  25  per  cent,  and  the  logwood  suit  80  per  cent, 
worse  than  the  brown;  indigo  being,  however,  55 
per  cent,  better  than  logwood.  Further  observations 
which  I  made,  as  to  the  effect  of  colors  on  the  powers 
of  physical  endurance,  confirmed  the  foregoing. 


THE   SANITARY  EFFECTS    3F   COLORS    OR 

DYES.— 11. 

(1882.) 

TO  the  proper  understanding  of  this  subject,  it  is 
necessary  to  bear  constantly  in  mind  that  each 
person  has  an  individual  constitution,  and  that,  con- 
sequently, all  people  are  not  affected  alike  by  one  and 
the  same  substance  or  matter. 

This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  well-known  differ- 
ence of  taste  which  exists  respecting  even  those 
foods,  which  would  be  expected  to  please  and  suit 
everybody;  as  milk,  for  instance.  Many  thoroughly 
healthy  people  cannot  endure  milk;  in  nearly  every 
large  household  will  be  found  one  person  at  least 
who  not  only  dislikes  milk,  but  to  whom  it  is  a  cause 
of  stomach-ache  and  diarrhoea.  Others,  again,  who 
are  fond  of  cow's  milk,  have  an  insuperable  aversion 
to  the  milk  of  goats  or  asses. 

This  like  or  dislike  for  certain  foods,  is  apt  to  run 
to  extremes — that  is  to  say;  one  class  of  people  will 


158       The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes. 

be  exceedingly  fond  of  them,  while  the  other  will  be 
equally  averse  to  them;  I  refer  to  mutton,  onions, 
garlic,  cheese,  craw-fish,  strawberries,  etc.  The  latter 
two  delicacies  have  to  bear  the  opprobrium  of  pro- 
ducing, in  certain  constitutions,  eruptions  of  the  skin, 
inflammation  of  the  throat,  and  similar  disorders.  I 
myself  suffer  from  inflammation  of  the  throat  if  I  eat 
strawberries;  and  this  idiosyncrasy  began  with  the 
setting-in  of  puberty,  and  therefore  with  a  so-called 
chancre  in  the  constitution. 

Differences  in  constitutions  are  also  stumbling- 
blocks  to  the  physician  in  the  medical  treatment  of 
sick  persons:  a  medicine  which  has  done  good  service 
in  ten  cases,  may  possibly,  in  the  eleventh,  not  only 
fail,  but  do  positive  harm;  and  doubtless  many  per- 
sons have  been  thus  unintentionally  poisoned  by  the 
medicines  administered  to  them.  This  consideration 
has  brought  treatment  with  medicine,  especially  in 
big,  so-called  allopathic  doses,  into  such  discredit,  not 
only  with  the  public,  but  also  with  the  medical  pro- 
fession itself,  that  the  modern  allopath  is  very  reluc- 
tant to  prescribe  medicines.  The  ill-effects  of  larg* 
doses  have  given  rise  to  homojopathy,  or  the  system 
of  minute  doses,  whereby  the  danger  of  causing  in- 
jury through  a  wrong  remed}'-,  is  greatly  diminished. 
J3ut  the  diversities  of  constitution,  which  again  con- 
stantly vary,  even  in  one  and  the  same  person,  accord- 
ing to  the  disposition,  genius  epidemicus^  etc.,  also 
constitute  the  main  difticulty  in  homoeopathy,  which 
fails  to  cure  if  the  remedy  applied  be  "  individually" 
wrong. 

Returning  to  the  question  of  colors:  the  diversity 
of  taste  in  the  choice  of  the  colors  of  clothings  is  suf- 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      159 

ficient  to  show  that  no  color  affects  all  persons  alike. 
Certainly,  inasmuch  as  science  ignores  that  of  which 
instinct  and  feeling  really  consist,  the  eye  alone  is 
assumed  to  be  responsible  for  the  diversity  of  taste 
in  the  matter  of  colors.  This  assumption,  however, 
is  shown  to  be  incorrect  by  the  actual  discomfort,  or, 
at  least,  diminution  in  comfort,  which  most  people 
feel  in  black  clothing.  Other  cases  may  be  cited 
which  arise  from  time  to  time,  especially  since  the 
introduction  of  aniline  dyes,  of  severe  and  dangerous 
poisonings  caused  by  the  dyes  in  articles  of  clothing. 

That  I  am  able  to  throw  x^q^  light  on  this  subject, 
is  partly  due  to  my  discovery,  in  the  "  neural-analy- 
sis," *  of  a  method  of  testing  the  noxious  or  salutary 
quality  of  any  given  object,  by  accurately  measuring 
the  effect  of  the  inhalation  of  its  odor,  in  retarding 
or  accelerating  the  rapidity  of  the  nervous  action; 
and  partly  to  the  fact  that  I  have  derived  informa- 
tion on  the  subject  from  experience  with  the  Sani- 
tary Woolen  System. 

When  a  white  linen  shirt  is  worn  between  the 
almost  universally  dyed  outerclothing  and  the  body, 
the  action  of  the  dye  on  the  health  cannot  be  so 
powerful  as  when  the  underclothing  is  dyed,  which 
is  very  commonly  the  case  with  woolen  shirts  and 
vests.  Moreover,  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  causes 
the  skin  to  develop  much  greater  activity,  and,  there- 
fore, more  warmth  in  the  wearer  of  woolen  than  in 
the  wearer  of  linen;  and  it  is  the  warmth  of  the  skin 
which  brings  into  action  the  dye  of  the  woolen  shirt. 
I  will   here   mention   two   cases,  which   have   come 

♦See  page  15. 


IGO       The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes. 

under  ray  observation,  respecting  dyes  hitherto  con- 
sidered harmless — logwood  and  cochineal. 

A  lady  writes  to  me,  that,  on  October  16,  she  put 
on  a  gray  "combination^'  garment  before  going  to 
bed,  and  awoke  after  an  interval  of  one  hour  with 
strong  feverish  symptoms,  and  with  such  pains, 
especially  in  the  region  of  the  stomach,  that  she 
thought  she  must  have  unwittingly  taken  poison. 
This  condition  lasted  until  the  morning  of  October 
18th,  when  it  occurred  to  my  correspondent  that  the 
cause  of  her  trouble  might  lie  in  the  garment,  which 
she  accordingly  changed;  whereupon  the  relief  was 
complete  and  the  fever  and  the  pains  subsided.  I 
found  that  the  garment,  which  was  forwarded  to  me 
for  examination,  was  dyed  with  logwood;  and  on 
applying  the  "  neural-analysis  "  test,  I  found  that  its 
effect  on  the  nervous  action  was  a  retardation  of  34 
])QY  cent. 

My  first  insight  into  this  subject,  obtained  from 
personal  observation,  was  on  a  recent  occasion  when  I 
had  to  wear  mourning.  Under  my  black  clothes  I 
wore  a  cochineal-dyed  shirt.  About  this  time  an 
Italian  physician  had  remarked  to  me  that  the  Savoy- 
ards wear  wool  ahnost  exclusively,  (as,  indeed,  the 
common  practice  is  throughout  Italy,)  but  that  they 
suffer  much  from  ischias — pain  in  the  liips.  Not 
long  afterwards,  I  felt  occasional  drawing  and  burn- 
ing j)ains  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  hips  and  loins, 
and  I  was  reminded  of  the  foregoing  remark,  which 
I  admit  caused  me  considerable  alarm.  I  found, 
however,  as  I  went  on,  that  at  night  I  was  free  from 
the  pain,  wliich  I  felt  more  keenly  in  a  sitting 
posture,  when  the  trousers  were  drawn  tighter,  caus- 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      161 

ing  a  partial  numbness  with  a  sense  of  uncomfortable 
heat  over  the  entire  region.  A  rapid  walk  on  a  warm 
spring  day,  solved  the  j^roblem  over  which  I  had  for 
some  time  puzzled  in  vain.  The  exercise  induced 
perspiration,  followed  by  a  sensation,  in  the  region 
of  the  hips  and  loins,  like  that  produced  by  a  mustard 
plaster.  It  then  first  occurred  to  me  that  the  black 
trousers  might  be  the  cause  of  the  annoyance,  which, 
indeed,  rapidly  subsided  as  soon  as  I  changed  the 
trousers  for  a  brown  pair.  In  this  case  the  "  neural- 
analysis  "  of  the  cause  of  offense  showed  the  nervous 
action  to  be  retarded  75  per  cent. 

In  another  instance,  a  friend  reported  to  me  that  a 
numbness  or  loss  of  feeling  in  the  skin  of  the  chest 
had  caused  him  serious  alarm,  until  he  found  that 
the  feeling  was  restored  on  his  putting- off  of  the 
gray  woolen  shirt,  which,  like  my  black  trousers,  had 
been  dyed  with  logwood. 

An  interesting  commentary  on  the  effect  of  log- 
wood, was  supplied  to  me  by  a  hat  manufacturer,  to 
whom  I  related  the  foregoing  incidents,  and  who  re- 
marked that  the  effect  of  logwood  in  depriving  the 
skin  of  the  sense  of  feeling  was  well  known  in  the 
trade.  As  a  practical  illustration  he  pressed  the 
burning  end  of  his  cigar  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand 
without  any  sign  of  pain  until  the  odor  of  scorching 
skin  was  perceptible. 

As  regards  the  effect  of  cochineal  on  certain  con- 
stitutions, I  may  say,  that  I  have  heard  of  several 
cases  in  which  the  wearers  of  shirts  thus  dyed,  have 
suffered  from  rheumatic  and  other  pains,  which  have 
disappeared  as  soon  as  the  shirts  were  cast  aside. 
Cochineal   dye  may  be   compared,   from   a   sanitarj^ 


162       The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes. 

j)t)int  of  view,  to  craw-fish  or  strawberries;  to  some 
constitutions  it  is  agreeable,  while  to  others  it  is 
poisonous.  The  proverb  says,  "  What  is  one  man's 
meat  is  another  man's  poison." 


THE  SANITARY  EFFECTS  OF  COLORS  OR 
DYES.— III. 

(1883.) 

AMONG  the  researches  into  the  effects  of  color- 
ing matters  on  the  health,  a  leading  place 
must  be  accorded  to  those  instituted  by  the  homoeo- 
pathic body,  whose  inquiries,  however,  have  not  been 
directed  to  the  action  set  up  by  the  dyes  in  clothing, 
but  to  their  action  when  taken  internally  in  the  form 
of  medicines.  For  the  instruction  of  those  of  my 
readers  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  homoeopathic 
doctrine,  I  append  the  following  summary  of  its 
principles. 

Every  substance,  when  swallowed  in  sufficient 
quantity,  develops  conditions  of  illness,  or,  in  fact, 
of  ])oisoning,  which  are  peculiar  to  each  special 
substance,  and  consist  of  a  certain  combination  of 
symptoms. 

Homoeopathy  teaches,  that,  if  a  disease  be  indi- 
cated by  a  comi)lication  of  symptoms  similar  to  those 
which  are  induced  by  swallowing  a  large  dose  of  a 
medicinal  substance,  a  homccopathic  dilution  of  the 
latter  is  the  proper  remedy.  It  is  necessary  to  the 
comprehension  of  this  position,  that  regard  should  be 
paid  to  what  I  have  })reviously  written  on  the  sub- 
ject; especially  where  I  have  jiointed  out  (on  page 


The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyes.      1G3 

153)  that  the  action,  on  the  body,  of  any  substance 
that  is  swallowed  or  inhaled,  is  of  two  entirely  op- 
posite natures:  in  a  large,  or  poisonous  quantity,  it 
disables,  and  causes  illness;  conversely,  in  small,  so- 
called  homcEopathic  doses,  it  animates,  arouses,  and 
exerts  a  healing  influence. 

In  treating  of  the  action  of  dyes  in  clothing,  the 
foregoing  consideration  is  of  the  highest  importance; 
if  the  dye  is  fixed  so  fast  in  the  clothing  that,  even 
when  the  body  is  heated,  only  minute;  le.,  homoeo- 
pathic— quantities  mingle  with  the  atmosphere  of  the 
clothes,  and  thence  with  the  atmosphere  which  is 
breathed,  their  effect  is,  as  a  rule,  that  of  the  homoeo- 
pathic dose,  and  it  is  then  favorable,  provided  that 
there  be  no  special  individual  antipathy  (or  so-called 
idiosyncratic  aversion)  to  the  substance  in  question. 
If,  however,  the  dye  adheres  loosely,  or  is  "spurious;" 
i.e.,  readily  fades;  or  if,  when  the  dye  is  genuine 
and  "  fast,"  there  is,  in  consequence  of  insufficient 
rinsing  after  the  dyeing  process,  a  surplus  of 
loose  coloring  matter,  (perceptible  by  its  rubbing 
off,)  the  poisonous,  deleterious  effect  will  be  ap- 
parent. 

A  further  consideration  is,  that  the  evaporation  of 
dye  from  clothes  is  largely  dependent  on  the  tempera- 
ture and  humidity  of  the  atmosphere;  being  less 
under  conditions  of  cold  and  dryness,  and  greater 
under  those  of  warmth  and  moisture.  Thus  the  effect 
of  a  dyed  garment  in  winter,  or  in  dry  weather,  or 
when  the  body  is  in  repose  and  the  skin  is  cool,  may 
be  nul,  or  even  agreeable;  while  in  summer,  in  hot 
rooms,  or  when  the  body  is  heated,  deleterious  effects 
(discomfort,   languor,  local  pains,  etc.)  may  be  felt, 


1(J1       The  Sanitary  Effects  of  Colors  or  Dyts. 

especially  when  to  these  conditions  are  added  a  d:unp 
atmosphere  and  perspiration. 

The  principles  of  my  system  of  coloring  matters, 
are  the  necessary  deductions  from  the  foregoing 
considerations,  and  I  will  here  briefly  recapitulate 
them: 

1.  For  summer  clothing,  working,  and  every-day 
costume,  especially  for  any  kind  of  athletic  sport,  and 
for  wear  in  hot  climates,  the  material  should  be 
entirely  free  from  dye;  i.e.^  natural  white  or  natural 
brown. 

2.  Dyed  materials  are  least  injurious  in  winter,  in 
cold  climates,  when  the  body  is  in  repose,  and  for 
Sunday,  visiting,  and  holiday  attire;  but  are  not  suit- 
able for  dancing  exercise,  which  is  a  species  of  athletic 
sport. 

3.  All  dyes  that  readily  fade  are  to  be  rejected. 
The  assertion  that  aniline  dyes  are  injurious  only 
when  they  contain  arsenic,  is  entirely  erroneous;  they 
are  chiefly  noxious  because  of  their  volatility. 

4.  "Fast;"  i.e.^  non-volatile — dyes  are  not  objec- 
tionable when  no  residue  or  surplus  of  loose,  unrinsed 
dye  is  left  in  the  garment:  any  such  surplus  is  readily 
detected  by  the  "  color  coming  off."  As  the  rinsing 
can  be  complete  only  when  the  wool  is  dyed  before 
being  worked  up,  all  fabrics  that  have  been  dyed  in 
the  piece,  or  printed  with  dyes,  should  be  rejected. 

5.  The  less  coloring  matter  a  garment  contains; 
e.e.,  the  lighter  it  is  dyed — the  less  will  be  the  danger 
from  the  coloring  matter. 

In  carrying  out  a  system  of  sanitarily  colored 
clothing,  it  would  be  impracticable  to  discard  all 
artificial  dyes,  and  I  have  therefore  adopted  some  of 


Girded  Loins.  165 

them,  especially  indigo  and  cochineal.  Indigo,  cochi- 
neal, and  logwood  are  all  capable,  under  certain  condi- 
tions, of  acting  as  poisons;  but  practically,  indigo  and 
cochineal,  as  '^fast"  dyes,  never  evaporate  from  the 
clothing  in  such  quantity  as  to  produce  injurious 
effects  in  persons  of  normal  constitution.  The  con- 
trary, however,  is  true  of  the  "spurious,"  logwood 
dye,  which  has  also  the  faculty  of  attracting  the 
"noxious"  exhalations  of  the  body. 

GIRDED  LOINS. 

(1882.) 

A  CORRESPONDENT  who  has  adopted  the  San- 
itary Woolen  System  writes:  "I  cannot  be- 
come reconciled  to  wearing  a  belt,  notwithstanding 
that  this  was  generally  practiced  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
and  is  still  customary  with  the  military,  and  among 
the  inhabitants  of  southern  countries,  although  noth- 
ing similar  obtains  among  any  of  the  four-footed 
creation.  To  wear  a  belt,  seems  contrary  to  nature, 
as  it  checks  the  processes  of  breathing  and  digesting; 
especially  the  former,  in  the  case  of  the  male  sex, 
whose  respiration  brings  the  abdominal  region  more 
into  play,  while  the  female  sex  breathe  chiefly  in  the 
region  of  the  chest.  The  man's  breathing-muscles  are 
attached  to  the  cervical  vertebra,  the  collar-bone  and 
shoulders,  and  the  ribs,  which  latter  they  extend  and 
widen.  So  that,  if  a  belt  be  worn,  only  the  upper 
part  of  the  chest  is  capable  of  the  proper  undulatory 
motion  incidental  to  respiration." 

In  reply  to  this,  I  have  to  say  that  my  experience 


166  Girded  Loins. 

in  wearing  a  belt  covers  different  periods  of  my  life. 
As  seminarist  and  student — a  period  during  which 
my  health  was  good — I  regularly  wore  an  ordinary 
gymnastic  belt,  and  found  that  it  agreed  with  me  very 
well,  excepting  this  fact,  that,  if  I  took  off  the  belt 
when  I  was  perspiring  freely,  I  readily  caught  cold  in 
the  part  which  the  belt  had  covered.  The  cold  m- 
duced  pains  in  the  region  of  the  navel,  (such  as  are 
caused  by  cramp  or  colic,)  which  were  very  trouble- 
some for  two  or  three  days,  without,  however,  affect- 
in  ir  the  bowels.  I  consider  this  disturbance  to  have 
been  an  affection  of  the  peritoneum,  caused  by  ener- 
vation of  the  skin  of  the  abdomen ;  for,  of  course,  at 
that  time  I  was  not  clothed  in  wool. 

In  the  second  period  of  my  life — from  the  age  of 
27  years  to  46 — during  which  I  suffered  from  indi- 
gestion, as  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  I  wore  no  belt, 
and  could  not  bear  to  have  anything  tight  round  the 
loins,  because  the  circumference  of  the  abdomen  con- 
tinually varied;  and,  after  meals,  when  my  dyspepsy 
became  painful,  I  was  obliged  to  loosen  the  trousers, 
although  they  were  made  to  fit  very  easy.  The  pain 
in  the  region  of  the  navel,  described  above,  frequently 
made  itself  felt,  especially  in  summer. 

About  the  time  I  introduced  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  I  was  reading  the  well-known  gourmand 
Brillat-Savarix,  who  writes  amusingly  and  even 
instructively,  but  whose  book  has  as  little  claim  to 
the  title  of  The  Phijdology  of  the  Se?ise  of  Taste  as  a 
cook  would  have  to  that  of  "  physiologist,"  I  was 
much  struck,  however,  by  the  remark,  that  in  cases 
of  tendency  to  corpulence,  the  wearing  of  a  belt,  not 
only  in    the  daytime  but    also   at  night,  was  to  be 


Girded  Loins,  167 

strongly  recommended.  I  was  aware  of  the  fact  that 
corpulence  v/as  injurious,  and  that  the  body,  when 
constrained,  possessed  great  capacity  of  self-help. 
Simultaneously,  therefore,  with  adopting  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  I  began  to  wear,  during  the  day  only, 
an  ordinary  leather  belt,  about  two  inches  wide.  I 
found  that  I  could  bear  it  very  well,  and  as  the  Sani- 
tary Woolen  System  caused  my  dyspepsia,  and  the 
puffed-out  condition  incidental  thereto  after  meals, 
to  subside,  I  could  maintain  the  belt  at  the  same  ten- 
sion throughout  the  day  without  inconvenience. 
Certain  other  evils^  however,  were  brought  to  notice. 
I  felt  that  a  leather  belt  was  unsuitable,  espe- 
cially when  I  perspired;  and  there  gradually  arose  a 
disagreeable  sensation  in  the  skin  wherever  pressed 
by  the  belt.  The  test  of  nerve-measurement  (see 
page  15)  by  inhalation  of  the  odor  of  the  belt  after 
it  had  been  some  time  m  use,  explained  this  sensa- 
tion, as  the  result  was  a  diminution  of  38  per  cent,  in 
the  rapidity  of  the  nervous  action.  I  consequently 
tried  a  woolen  belt  of  similar  width,  but  it  afforded 
too  little  resistance,  and  was  soon  useless,  rolling  up, 
and  cutting  like  a  rope.  My  hope  that  the  body 
would  accommodate  itself  to  the  pressure  of  the  belt 
was  not  realized  as  I  desired  ;  the  circumference 
under  the  belt  continually  lessened,  so  that  I  had  to 
keep  tightening  the  strain  to  prevent  the  trousers 
from  slipping  ;  but  above  the  belt,  and  to  some 
extent  below  it,  the  protuberance  was  proportionately 
increased.  It  was  thus  clear  that  this  form  of  woolen 
belt  did  little  or  nothing  to  hinder  corpulence.  In 
spite,  however,  of  the  inconvenience  mentioned,  I 
considered  that  the  belt  had  distinct  advantages,  as 


1U8  Girded  Loins. 

somehow  I  felt  comfortable  with  it,  and  during  this 
period,  which  lasted  till  within  a  year  of  the  time  of 
this  writing,  I  was  free  from  the  jiain  over  the  navel, 
previously  referred  to. 

My  experiments  entered  on  a  new  phase  in  the 
last  excessively  hot  summer.  I  must  premise  that  I 
formerly  suffered  considerably  from  difficulty  of 
breathing  and  from  great  corpulence — measuring  42j 
inches  round  the  body.  The  relief  afforded  by  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System  has  exceeded  all  my  hopes 
and  expectations;  but  still,  I  am  not  entirely  satis- 
fied. The  normal  measurement  round  the  body 
should  be  75  per  cent,  of  that  round  the  chest.  The 
latter,  in  my  case,  is  39 1  inches,  and  the  measure- 
ment round  the  body  should  therefore  be  29^  inches; 
whereas  it  fluctuates  between  31 J  inches  and  34 
inches,  according  to  my  condition  and  the  season  of 
the  year.  It  is  thus  still  about  4  inches  too  great,  and 
I  know  that  in  proportion  as  it  is  less  or  greater,  I 
^m  more  or  less  healthy. 

The  difficulty  in  breathmg,  had  also  greatly  dimin- 
ished, but  I  was  unable  to  account  for  the  circum- 
stance that,  when  I  walked  somewhat  quickl}'-  up 
hill,  I  felt — especially  in  hot  weather — a  pain  at  the 
lower'end  of  the  breast-bone,  shooting  right  and  left. 
I  was  often  puzzled  as  to  the  origin  of  this  pain,  and 
had  long  accepted  a  mistaken  theory,  that  it  arose 
from  some  old-standing  distortion  of  the  lungs  and 
chest,  which  Mould  accompany  me  through  life, 
when  light  was  at  last  thrown  upon  it  in  the  follow- 
ing manner: 

I  was  panting  w\)  the  southern  slope  of  a  valley  at 
the  hottest  period  (between  4  and  5  r.M.)  of  one  of  the 


Girded  Loins.  169 

hottest  days  of  last  summer,  the  path  being  entirely 
without  shade,  and  the  sun  burning  pitilessly  down 
upon  me,  when  I  suddenly  perceived  that  the  pam 
arose  exactly  at  the  junction  of  the  diaphragm  with 
the  anterior  verge  of  the  chest,  and  was  the  natural 
consequence  of  the  vehement  action  of  the  diaphragm. 
On  further  observation  of  my  movements  in  breath- 
ing, I  remarked  that  I  breathed  exclusively  in  the 
region  of  the  diaphragm  and  lower  ribs,  and  that  the 
upper  ribs  remained  almost  entirely  inactive.  I  then 
remembered  the  well-known  fact  that  difficulty  in 
breathing  (asthma — in  horses,  broken-windedness)  is 
caused  by  a  wasting  of  the  lungs,  which  always  com- 
mences in  the  tissues  of  the  upper  portions  of  the 
lungs;  and  I  had  long  felt  that  this  affection  was  due 
to  insufficient  use  of  the  lungs.  When  I  further  con- 
sidered that  men  are  much  more  subject  to  asthma 
than  women,  I  had  a  clear  perce^^tion  of  the  wHole 
case,  which  may  be  stated  as  follows: 

Two  modes  of  breathing  must  be  distinguished: 
(1)  Quiet  breathing,  when  we  are  lying  down,  sit- 
ting, or  walking  slowly,  is  differently  performed  by 
men  and  by  women;  at  least,  this  is  the  case  in  our 
state  of  civilization,  although  1  doubt  whether  it  is 
so  everywhere.  Men  breathe  only  in  the  region  of 
the  diaphragm,  whereby  merely  the  lower  portions  of 
the  lungs  alternately  are  filled  and  emptied,  while  the 
upper  portions  are  inactive.  Women,  on  the  other 
hand — chiefly  because  the  diaphragm  is  hampered  by 
the  corset,  or  by  the  clothing  tied  round  the  hijos — 
breathe  in  the  region  of  the  upper  ribs^  and,  theie- 
fore,  with  the  tips  of  the  lungs  ;  and  this  is  the 
reason   why   women    are   attacked   by   asthma  rela- 


170  Girded  Loins. 

tively  less  frequently  than  men.  (2)  When  the 
breathing  is  accelerated  by  strenuous  exertion,  the 
difference  in  this  respect  between  ordinary  men  and 
women  disappears,  and  the  whole  of  the  lungs  is 
called  into  play. 

It  is  thus  clear,  that  when  a  man  leads  a  sedentary 
life,  and  -is  seldom  or  never  compelled  by  strenuous 
bodily  movement  to  breathe  violently,  two  things 
Avill  happen  :  The  inactive  tips  of  the  lungs  will 
waste  away,  begetting  a  subsequent  difficulty  in 
breathing  ;  and  he  will  become  so  accustomed  to 
breathing  soleh''  in  the  region  of  the  diaphragm  as 
to  lose  all  facility  of  breathing  in  the  region  of  the 
upper  ribs.  If  an  occasion  then  occurs  for  more 
abundant  respiration,  the  bod\'  will  fall,  from  habit, 
into  the  error  of  endeavoring  to  meet  this  extra  de- 
mand by  increased  activity  of  the  diaphragm,  instead 
of  obtaining  assistance  from  the  region  of  the  upper 
ribs.  The  twofold  consequences  are:  (1)  Inadequate 
respiration,  because  only  the  lower  lobes,  instead  of 
the  entire  lungs,  are  worked;  (2)  the  pain  which  I 
have  mentioned  above,  produced  by  the  vehement 
movement  of  the  diaphragm. 

In  considering  how  this  might  be  remedied,  the 
circumstance  tliat  tlie  climbing  of  ascents  induces 
enhanced  activity  of  breathing,  led  me  to  think  of 
people  who  inhabit  mountainous  districts;  and  before 
my  mind's  eye  stood  the  German  Tyrolese,  (whom  I 
have  long  respected  for  their  simple  and  health}'- 
manner  of  living,)  with  their  belt  of  nearly  two 
hands'  width  in  front,  I  reasoned  that  the  wearing 
of  80  broad  a  belt  limits  the  range  of  breathing:  in 
the   region  of  the  diaphragm,  and  so,  whenever  the 


Girded  Loins.  171 

need  for  breatti  increases,  compels  recourse  to  the 
region  of  the  upper  ribs,  thus  preventing  (1)  the 
wasting  away  of  the  tips  of  the  lungs  through  dis- 
use; (2)  the  habituation  of  the  body  to  dispense  with 
breathing  in  the  region  of  the  upper  ribs;  (3)  exces- 
sive and  painful  breathing  in  the  region  of  the  dia- 
phragm. 

I  at  once  caused  a  belt,  as  broad  as  that  of  the 
Tyrolese,  to  be  made  of  strong  woolen  material;  and 
the  result  surpassed  my  expectations.  The  effort  of 
breathing,  when  climbing  ascents,  was  greatly  less- 
ened, and  I  was  at  once  entirely  freed  from  the  pain 
in  the  diaphragm. 

What,  of  course,  could  not  at  once  be  remedied, 
was  the  wasting-away,  which  had,  undoubtedly,  af- 
fected the  tips  of  my  lungs.  How  far  this  loss,  in 
the  case  of  a  man  in  his  fifty-first  year,  can  be  re- 
covered I  am  unable  to  judge;  and  I  do  not  suppose 
that,  especially  with  my  sedentary  mode  of  life,  I 
shall  ever  become  an  active  mountaineer.  But  the 
fact  remains  that  I  have  occasion  weekly  to  make 
an  ascent  of  705  feet,  in  a  distance  of  1^  miles.  I  do 
this  without  effort  in  twenty-five  minutes;  and,  if  I 
exert  myself,  in  twenty  minutes.  When  I  also  con- 
sider that  I  can  trot  \\  miles  on  a  slight  descent,  I 
feel,  that,  as  an  asthmatic  subject  of  many  years' 
standing,  I  have  reason  to  be  satisfied;  and  I  ascribe 
these  results  chiefly  to  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System, 
and  partly  to  the  Tyrolese  belt. 

The  belt  must  be  6  inches  broad  in  front,  narrow- 
ing on  each  side  towards  the  hips.  The  chief  diffi- 
culty of  constructing  such  a  belt  of  woolen  material, 
was  the  tendency  of  the  broad  band  to  fold  together^ 


172  Tlte  Corset. — The  Sanatory  Boot. 

and  thus  defeat  its  p^irpose.  This  has  been  overcome 
by  inserting  pieces  of  whalebone  or  steel;  and  I  can 
now  strongly  recommend  the  wearing  of  this  broad 
belt,  especially  by  those  who  suffer  from  corpulence 
and  difficulty  of  breathing. 

THE    CORSET. 

(1882.) 
rriHE  substance  of  Dr.  Jaeger's  chapter  on  the  cor- 
-*-  set,  is  that,  until  recently,  at  least,  the  leading 
authorities  had  but  little  to  say  upon  the  subject  of 
clothing  for  women,  beyond  a  sweeping  condemnation 
of  the  corset,  giving  cases  and  illustrations  of  its  per- 
nicious effects.  The  Doctor  takes  the  ground,  that, 
except  for  the  exceedingly  tight  lacing,  so  much  in 
vogue,  the  material  of  the  corset  has  more  to  do  with 
the  mischief  wrought  than  the  form  or  fact  of  the 
corset  itself.  The  tight  lacing  is  generally  induced 
by  a  "  feeling  of  want  of  support,"  resulting  from 
the  enervating  influence  of  unsanatory  clothing;  and 
by  a  desire  to  prevent  an  "  unshapely  increase  of 
bulk."  The  force  applied  for  these  purposes,  fre- 
quently causes  derangement  and  disease  of  the  in- 
ternal organs. — Editor. 

THE  SANATORY  BOOT. 

(1882.) 

A  SANITARY  construction  of  boot  requires  that, 
as  far  as  possible,  all  itnpediment  to  evapora- 
tion should  be  removed,  and  tliat  perspiration  sliould 


The  Sanatory  Boot.  173 

be  prevented  from  accumulating.  The  unpleasant 
odor  which  stockings  or  socks  acquire  in  the  ordinary 
boots,  should  thus  be  prevented,  and  the  foot  should 
be  kept  comfortable,  warm,  and  dry.  To  design  a 
boot  capable  of  meeting  these  requirements,  was  a 
problem  full  of  difficulties,  which,  however,  were 
mainly  overcome  by  acting  on  the  principles  pro- 
pounded in  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System;  that  was, 
to  substitute,  as  far  as  is  practicable,  woolen  material 
for  leather,  which  is  nearly  impervious  to  vapor. 
The  difference  between  the  Sanatory  Woolen,  and 
the  ordinary  leather  boot,  is  equal  to  that  between 
the  Sanatory  and  ordinary  coats;  as  will  be  found  on 
recurring  to  the  use  of  the  latter  kind  of  boot  after 
wearing  the  other  for  some  time. 

The  best  form  of  boot,  on  sanitary  grounds,  is  one 
made,  with  the  exception  of  the  sole,  entirely  of 
woolen  cloth,  without  any  addition  of  leather.  An- 
other form,  better  calculated  for  muddy  and  very 
rough  walking,  has  a  narrow  leather  border  all  round, 
and  a  narrow  piece  of  leather  over  the  toes.  This 
toe-piece  should  not  reach  back  beyond  the  front 
part  of  the  toes.  The  perspiration  is  most  abundant 
between  the  toes,  and  at  the  angles  of  junction  it 
is  most  injurious.  The  hinder  extremities  of  the 
division  between  the  toes,  therefore,  especially  need 
ventilation. 

The  penetration  of  water  from  without,  can  do  no 
harm  when  the  feet  are  thus  clad.  On  a  fortnight's 
pedestrian  tour,  our  party  of  eight  persons  wore  thor- 
oughly wet  Sanatory  Woolen  boots  for  hours  at  a 
time,  and  we  felt  no  inconvenience  or  discomfort; 
nor  was  there  the  least  injury  to  the  health  of  any 


174  The  fSanatory  Boot. 

one  in  consequence  of  the  wetting.  In  fact,  if,  after 
a  long  walk,  the  feet  are  swollen  and  fatigued, — by 
stepping  into  water,  the  sense  of  discomfort  is  quickly 
dispelled,  and  the  vigor  of  the  feet  is  renewed.  The 
socks  and  interior  woolen  soles,  which  prolonged 
walking  renders  hard  and  stiif,  become  elastic  again 
with  the  water,  and  feel  like  velvet  to  the  feet. 

The  capacity  of  endurance  of  the  feet,  is  much  en- 
hanced by  encasing  them  in  woolen  instead  of  in  the 
ordinary  leather  material.  Of  the  eight  members  of 
the  pedestrian  party  already  referred  to,  not  one  be- 
came in  the  least  footsore,  although  we  frequently 
walked  upwards  of  twenty  miles  a  day  during  the 
fortnight.  In  another  case,  an  acquaintance  walked 
for  fifteen  hours  in  Sanatory  Woolen  boots  without 
blistering  his  feet. 

As  the  boots  should  fit  quite  closely  at  the  ankle, 
and  as  "  side  springs  "  are  objectionable,  from  causing 
perspiration  and  impeding  evaporation, — the  "  lace- 
up"  form  is  chosen,  reaching  to  the  calf  of  the  leg. 
With  a  little  practice,  lacing-up  soon  becomes  easy  to 
those  who  are  not  already  accustomed  to  it,  and  it 
is  the  only  correct  method  of  making  the  boot  fit 
c!osel3\ 

Another  material  for  boots  which  possesses  great 
sanitary  advantages,  is  leather  made  from  undyed 
buckskin.  I  have  tried  tliis,  now,  for  some  time, 
both  in  dry  and  wet  weather,  and  I  can  state  that  in 
point  of  durability  it  considerably  surpasses  ordinary 
slioe  leather.  Buckskin  leather  is,  of  course,  not  ini- 
])erviou8  to  water;  but  the  feet  remain,  even  when 
the  boots  are  wet,  not  only  as  warm  as  in  wet  woolen 
boots,  but  perceptibly  warmer,  probably  because  the 


The  Sanatory  Boot.  175 

cloth  of  the  latter  has  been  dyed.  This  is  so  notably 
the  case  that  it  is  positively  pleasant  to  put  on  the 
buckskin  leather  boots  when  they  have  been  freshly 
washed  and  are  still  wet.  I  can  therefore  recommend 
buckskin  leather  for  the  feet  nearly  as  strongly  as 
woolen  material,  especially  for  ladies'  ball- toilet.  The 
ladies  of  my  family  are  greatly  pleased  with  their 
buckskin  leather  dancing-shoes.  A  few  decades  since, 
such  shoes  were  the  fashion. 

Another  important  point  is,  that  the  impregnation 
of  tanned  leather  with  a  proper  composition  of  min- 
eral grease,  prevents  it  from  being  tainted  with  the 
perspiration  of  the  feet,  and  renders  it  soft,  pliable, 
and  perfectly  water-tight.  This  last  is  a  doubtful 
advantage;  but  I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion,  after 
wearing  high  boots  made  of  leather  thus  impregnated, 
but  lined  with  undyed  woolen  material,  for  some 
time,  that  the  objection  is  of  less  importance  than  I 
had  previously  supposed.  At  all  events,  if  water-proof 
boots  are  required,  those  impregnated  with  mineral 
grease,  which  will  not  become  rancid,  are  far  prefer- 
able to  such  as  are  treated  with  animal  grease,  which 
does  become  rancid. 

An  important  question  in  connection  with  this  sub- 
ject, is  the  material  that  should  be  used  for  blacking 
the  leather.  By  mixing  indigo  with  mineral  grease, 
a  blacking  is  obtained  which  gives  the  leather  an  ex- 
cellent appearance  without  injuring  its  sanitary  qual- 
ities. The  dust,  however,  is  more  apt  to  cling  to  the 
leather  than  when  ordinary  polish  is  used;  but  this 
objection  is  minimized  by  the  consideiation  that  in 
dusty  weather  Sanatory  Woolen  boots  without  a  bor- 
dering of  leather  should  be  used.    The  leather  border 


ITO    Cleansing  of  Outer  Clothing  and  Bedding. 

is  only  for  dirty  weather.  Moreover,  if  the  boot,  about 
ten  minutes  after  the  blacking  has  been  rubbed  into  the 
leather,  be  brushed  up,  the  tendency  of  the  dust  to 
cling  is  lessened,  and  the  general  effect  is  excellent. 

As  regards  the  sole  of  the  Sanatory  boot, — the  in- 
ner surface  must  be  of  leather,  to  give  the  requisite 
consistency.  This,  therefore,  together  with  the  leather 
stiffening  at  the  back  of  the  boot,  which  preserves  its 
shape,  is  impregnated  with  mineral  grease,  to  prevent 
taint  from  perspiration.  Furthermore:  holes  can  be 
drilled  through  both  these  portions  of  the  boot,  and 
between  the  leather  surface  at  the  bottom  of  the  boot 
and  the  outside  sole,  a  layer  of  felt  inserted,  into 
which  the  perspiration  from  the  sole  of  the  foot 
passes  through  the  drilled  holes.  An  outlet  from  the 
layer  of  felt  to  the  open  air  is  provided  in  the  heel 
of  the  boot.  The  loose,  woolen  sole,  which  can  be 
changed  and  washed  when  there  is  much  perspiration 
from  the  feet,  presses  into  the  apertures  drilled 
through  the  leather  surface  at  the  bottom  of  the  boot, 
and  thus  obtains  a  better  hold.* 

THE   CLEANSING  OF   THE   OUTER  CLOTH- 
ING AND   BEDDING. 

(1882.) 

IT  is  not  claimed  that  the  Sanatory  Woolen  System 
reform   has   reached,  or  will   reach,   a  stage  of 
absolute  perfection;  the  object  kept  steadily  in  view, 

♦In  the  latest,  and  by  far  the  best  pattern  of  the  Jaeger 
shoe,  the  leather  insole  is  discarded  altogether,  and  a  second, 
felt  insole  substituted,  which,  in  every  way,  adds  to  the 
value  of  the  shoe. — Editou. 


Cleansing  of  Outer  Clothing  and  Bedding.  Ill 

is  to  replace  what  is  bad  by  "good,"  what  is  good  by 
"better,"  and  what  is  better  by  "  better  still."  This 
becomes  apparent  when  the  subject  of  the  above 
heading  comes  to  be  considered.  The  endeavor  to 
Drovide  clothing  and  bedding,  which  will  not  retain 
the  "  noxious "  portions  of  the  body's  exhalations, 
cannot  entirely  succeed,  whatever  progress  may  be 
made. 

The  linen  or  cotton  shirt  becomes  unwholesome  in 
two  or  three  days,  or,  after  copious  perspiration,  in 
as  many  hours,  and  the  feeling  of  discomfort  and 
aversion  which  it  causes  warns  the  wearer  that  the 
shirt  must  be  washed.  It  must  not  be  supposed, 
however,  that,  apart  from  other  considerations,  the 
Sanatory  Woolen  shirt  could  be  worn  unwashed 
indefinitely  without  a  similar  sense  of  discomfort 
setting  in;  this  must  come  at  last,  although  the  pe- 
riod which  would  elapse  before  it  would  be  felt  is 
considerably  longer  than  it  would  be  with  a  linen  or 
cotton  shirt. 

As  regards  the  outer  clothing, — whoever,  like  my- 
self, has  worn  such  of  linen  or  cotton,  knows  that, 
after  a  few  days,  it  requires  washing.  Ordinary 
woolen  outer  clothing  is  made  externally  of  wool,  and 
internally  is  lined  with  vegetable  fibre.  The  outer, 
woolen  surface  is  much  less  liable  to  attract  dirt  than 
is  vegetable  fibre;  and  as  most  people  are  chiefly  con- 
cerned for  their  exterior,  they  seldom  or  never  cause 
the  outer  clothing  to  be  cleansed;  not  considering 
that  a  regular  Augean  stable  of  offensive  odors, 
dangerous  to  health,  collects  in  the  linen  and  cotton 
linings. 

This  condition  of  thino-s  has  been  greatly  amelio- 


178    (JUanslnfj  of  Outer  Clothing  and  Bedding. 

rated  by  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System,  which  discards 
the  offensive,  vegetable  fibre.  But,  even  so,  perfec- 
tion has  not  been  attained;  and  there  comes  a  time 
when  the  degree  of  concentration  of  the  accumulated 
odor  of  the  body's  exhalations  in  the  Sanatory 
Woolen  outer  clothing,  makes  it  necessary  that  it 
should  undergo  a  cleansing  process.  I  refer  the 
reader  to  my  remarks  on  the  concentration  of  odor, 
in  the  essay  on  "  The  Nature  of  Disease,"  page  49. 
The  only  difference  between  outer  clothing  and 
under-clothing  in  this  respect  is  that  the  latter  re- 
quires cleansing  sooner  than  the  former. 

The  relation  which  this  question  bears  to  that  of 
the  effect  of  colors  on  health,  which  I  discuss  else- 
where, is  simple.  The  color  of  the  outer  clothing  is 
not  the  sole  factor,  but  an  essential  one,  in  determin- 
ing the  necessity  for  the  cleansing  process;  and  my 
investigations  leave  no  room  for  doubt  that,  from  a 
hygienic  point  of  view,  the  necessity  is  greatest  with 
black  color  or  dye,  and  least  with  wool  which  is  com- 
pletely free  from  dye.  As  natural  wool  is  white,  and 
brown,  and  white  wool  appears  sooner  to  require 
cleansing  than  the  brown  does,  the  highest  rank  must 
be  awarded  to  natural  brown  wool. 

The  practical  question  for  present  consideration  is, 
when  and  how  should  the  outer  clothing  and  bedding 
be  cleansed  ? 

As  to  when:  I  answer,  so  soon  as  there  is  the 
slightest  intimation  of  disturbance  in  the  health  or 
general  condition;  whether  it  be  in  the  form  of  head- 
ache, toothache,  heartburn,  rheumatism,  catarrh, 
sleeplessness,  or  disinclination  to  work.  As  to  how  : 
if  the  clothing  or   bedding   be  dirty,  it    should    be 


The  Treatment  of  Infants.  179 

washed.  If,  liowever,  it  be  free  from  apparent  dirt, 
deodorization  with  ozogen  (or  effectually  and  more 
cheaply  Avith  camphor)  will  suffice.  The  process  is 
the  simplest  conceivable.  The  bedding  can  be  placed, 
in  the  morning,  in  a  chest  in  which  camphor  has 
been  deposited,  or  ozogen  has  been  sprinkled.  Two 
hours  before  bedtime,  the  bedding  should  be  taken 
out,  to  allow  the  smell  of  camphor  or  ozogen  to 
evaporate,  and  the  process  is  finished.  The  clothing 
may  be  placed  in  a  receptacle  over  night  with  cam- 
phor, and  in  the  morning  it  will  be  cleansed. 


THE  TREATMENT  OF  INFANTS. 

(1882.) 

THE  subject  of  bathing  in  connection  with  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System,  which  is  treated  of 
in  the  essay  headed  "Cold  Baths,"  (see  page  137,) 
has  been  raised  in  another  form,  by  a  lady  who  ad- 
dresses me  from  Helsingfors,  (Finland,)  with  refer- 
ence to  her  eight-months-old  child,  whom  she  has 
brought  up  under  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System  since 
its  third  month.  I  will  enumerate  my  correspond- 
ent's inquiries,  and  append  my  replies  in  a  similar 
sequence. 

1.  May  the  child,  when  in  health,  be  bathed  more 
than  once  a  week  ? 

2.  Must  the  child  be  wrapped,  after  the  bath,  in 
damp,  warm,  woolen  clothes  ?  How  long  should  it 
be  kept  in  them,  and  what  is  the  effect  ?  Should 
the  child  be  first  loell  dried  before  the  clothes  are  ap- 
plied? 


180  The   Treatment  of  Infants. 

3.  The  child's  sleep  appears  frequently  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  dreams,  so  that  it  groans,  (as  after  a  fit 
of  crying,)  or  laughs  aloud.  Is  there  any  remedy  for 
this  ? 

4.  I  am  told  that  the  child  will  be  enervated  by 
the  woolen  clothing,  and  not  sufficiently  hardened 
against  catching  cold.  There  have  certainly,  from 
time  to  time,  been  attacks  of  cough  and  cold,  but 
these  have  always  been  light,  and  have  quickly 
passed  away. 

Answers. 

1.  In  health-culture  there  should  be  no  rule  of 
thumb.  Everything  should  be  decided  by  the  con- 
sideration of  what  is  necessary.  A  child  should  be 
bathed  when  it  really  requires  a  general  cleansing, 
and  in  summer  when  it  suffers  from  heat. 

2.  With  infants,  as  with  adults,  it  usually  suffices 
to  place  the  dry  woolen  cloths,  or  clothing,  over  the 
dripping  wet  bod3^  Only  when  the  air  is  hot  and 
dry  should  the  woolen  cloths,  or  underclothing,  be 
directly  wetted.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  reproduc- 
ing as  nearly  as  possible  the  conditions  under  which 
the  mammiferous  animals  bathe.  Their  coats  take 
up  little  water  because  they  are  not  felted,  as  are, 
unfortunately,  the  materials  of  our  clothing;  and  their 
hair  is  freely  lubricated  with  fatty  matter.  A  dog, 
on  leaving  the  water,  shakes  itself,  and  in  the  course 
of  half  an  hour  to  an  hour  is  dry.  Dogs  can  there- 
fore bathe  at  any  season,  but  in  the  cold  of  winter 
they  require  a  sufficient  amount  of  violent  exercise  to 
dry  the  coat  in  proper  time,  since,  to  remain  wet  too 
long  is  unhealthy  for  animals  also.     Man  should  be 


TJie  Treatment  of  Infants.  181 

guided  by  these  considerations,  and  manage  so  that, 
after  bathing,  there  shall  be  as  much  water  in  the 
under-clothing  as  will  dry  in  the  course  of  half  an 
hour  to  an  hour,  not  more  and  not  less.  Practice 
soon  makes  this  easy.  In  Finland,  where  the  climate 
is  affected  by  the  propinquity  of  the  sea,  the  placing 
of  the  dry  shirt  and  outer  clothing  on  the  dripping- 
wet  body,  would,  probably,  at  all  seasons  be  suffi- 
cient; while  in  Vienna,  Pesth,  or  in  the  interior  of 
Russia,  where  the  air  is  hot  and  dry,  the  clothing 
should  be  directly  wetted,  in  order  to  secure  the 
full  enjoyment  of  the  bath  without  detrimental  con- 
sequences. 

3.  The  child's  sleep  will  cease  to  be  restless  when 
its  health  is  no  longer  disturbed  by  excessive  bath- 
ing- 

4.  If  nothing  worse  has  ailed  a  child,  from  its  third 

to  its  eighth  month,  than  light  and  evanescent  attacks 
of  cough  and  cold,  notwithstanding  the  mistakes 
made  in  bathing  it;  and  if,  as  is  stated,  the  child's 
health  be  normal,  what  more  can  be  desired  ?  It 
should  be  remembered  that  thirty  to  forty  per  cent, 
of  children  die  in  the  first  year,  and  that  an  equal 
percentage  suffer  severe  illnesses. 

Here  may  be  inserted  a  communication  received  by 
Dr.  G.  Jaeger,  some  months  after  the  foregoing  was 
first  printed : 

"  The  writer,  feeling  convinced  of  the  value  of  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System,  procured,  in  anticipation  of 
the  approaching  birth  of  a  child,  an  entire  woolen 
outfit  for  the  newly -born  baby,  which  from  its  first 
existence  has  never  worn  a  particle  of  linen.  The 
appearance  of  the  child,  now  six  months  old,  is  all 


182  The  Treatment  of  Infants. 

that  could  be  wished;  its  limbs  are  affile  and  strong, 
the  body  is  round,  the  flesh  firm,  and,  in  short,  the 
child  is  as  healthy  as  it  can  possibly  be. 

"  As  to  the  practical  w'^orth  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System,  the  writer  has  noted  down  the  opinions  of 
the  monthly  nurse,  a  woman  of  twenty  years'  experi- 
ence, as  of  more  value  than  a  great  deal  of  theorizing 
one  way  or  the  other.  At  first  the  whole  thing 
appeared  to  her  ridiculous,  and  she  used  the  various 
woolen  articles  with  reluctance;  but  after  some  time 
she  expressed  herself  as  follows: 

" '  Although  I  am  poor,  and  have  brought  up  six 
children  in  linen,  I  would  not  hesitate  to  clothe  the 
next  in  wool,  for  it  gives  only  half  the  trouble  of 
linen.  The  colds  which  babies  so  frequently  catch 
are  completely  prevented  by  the  equable  and  sus- 
tained warmth  of  the  woolen  clothing,  which  is  of  the 
greatest  importance,  since  so  little  heat  is  generated 
in  the  body  itself;  this  particularly  applies  to  the 
wet  clothes  which,  when  of  linen,  grow  cold  on  the 
body,  while  the  woolen  ones  remain  warm.  Another 
advantage  is  the  time  and  labor  saved  in  ironing. 
The  washing  of  the  clothes  is  simpler  and  quicker, 
and  that  of  the  frocks  and  shifts  is  not  required  so 
often,  and  it  is  surprising  how  long  they  keep  clean 
and  free  from  smell.  I  also  notice  that  daily  bathing 
and  soaping  do  a  child  more  harm  than  good.  This 
child  was  best  when  simply  washed,  without  soap, 
each  day,  and  afterwards  lightly  rubbed  with  a  wool- 
en rag,  soaked  in  olive  oil;  it  was  only  bathed  once 
a  week.  I  intend  to  recommend  the  bringing-up  of 
children  in  wool  wherever  I  can. 

"To  this  may  be  added,  that  when  the  child  was 


Vegetarianism.  183 

out  of  doors  for  some  time  the  cloths  which  it  wetted 
frequently  dried  on  the  way,  a  proof  of  the  rapid 
evaporation;  moreover,  they  were  free  from  odor. 

"In  conclusion,  the  cost  was  about  the  same  as  of  a 
linen  outfit,  having  regard  to  the  fact  that  only  half 
the  usual  number  of  articles  was  necessary." 


VEGETARIANISM. 

(1882.) 

THAT  whatever  is  practically  good  and  true  finds 
its  greatest  enemy  in  doctrinism,  (over  which, 
however,  it  invariably  triumphs  in  the  end,)  is  an  old 
story  that  recurs  to  me  with  especial  vividness  in 
connection  with  this  subject.  My  first  acquaintance 
with  vegetarianism  was  in  the  form  of  the  following 
doctrine: 

"  According  to  the  construction  of  his  teeth,  the 
nature  of  his  digestive  organs,  and  his  systematic 
conformation,  man  belongs  to  the  genus  ape,  especially 
to  that  of  the  so-called  man-ape.  As  these  animals 
are  frugivora  (fruit-eating),  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
must  be  the  natural  nourishment  of  man,  for  whom 
meat  is  unnatural  food." 

I  have  always  opposed  this  doctrine,  on  the  ground 
of  practical  experience,  a  part  of  which  I  will  here 
briefly  relate. 

I  was  for  nearly  five  years  the  technical  and  scien- 
tific director  of  a  zoological  garden,  and  I  found  that 
few  animals  presented  so  many  difficulties,  in  respect 
to  frailty  of  health,  as  the  apes.  When  I  entered  on 
my  duties  I  found  that  the  apes  were  treated  as  fru- 


184  Vegetarianism. 

givora;  i.  c,  were  fed  with  vegetables,  onions,  carrots, 
rice,  potatoes,  etc.;  but  milk  also  was  given  to  them. 
The  result  of  this  diet  was,  as  stated  in  the  journal  of 
the  Frankfort  Zoological  Garden,  an  annual  mortality 
of  50  per  cent.!  The  chief,  and,  indeed,  exclusive, 
cause  of  death  was  pulmonary  consumption. 

The  following  observation  induced  me  to  adopt  an- 
other method:  I  had  two  mandrills,  which  soon  after 
their  arrival  showed  every  symptom  of  consumption, 
phthisis.  As  I  was  watching  them  one  day,  a  man- 
drill quickly  seized  a  mouse  that  came  through  a  hole 
into  the  cage,  and  devoured  it  with  extraordinary 
avidity. 

I  was  reminded  by  this  incident  (1)  of  the  success 
which  I  had  had  in  treating  two  tuberculous  patients 
with  the  so-called  "  cold  preparation  "  of  Liebig's  ex- 
tract of  meat;  i.e.,  a  solution  of  meat  in  joVo  ^^  muri- 
atic acid — by  no  means  to  be  confounded  with  the 
Liebig's  extract  ordinarily  sold;  (2)  that  the  cravings 
of  the  sick  are  nature's  hints,  to  which  the  physician 
should  always  attend. 

From  that  time  I  treated  all  my  apes  as  omnivora, 
or  general  eaters;  and  the  result  was  remarkable.  Of 
the  mandrills — one,  indeed,  died  after  a  few  weeks, 
full  of  tubercules,  but  the. other  recovered  and  sur- 
vived for  over  a  year.  An  examination  after  its 
death,  showed  that  the  growth  of  the  tubercles  had 
been  arrested,  and  that  the  cause  of  death  was  heart 
disease.  The  main  point,  however,  was  that  the  total 
mortality  of  the  apes  was  reduced  from  50  per  cent,  to 
20  per  cent,  (^ii  my  recommendation,  my  colleagues 
in  the  other  zoological  gardens  in  Germany,  adopted 
the  same  system,  with  a  similar  result.     To  this,  may 


Vegetarianism,  185 

be  added  that  apes  in  a  wild  state  are  by  no  means 
exclusively  frugivorous,  but  eager  and  alert  to  devour 
all  kinds  of  insects,  worms,  snails,  birds'  eggs,  young 
birds,  mice,  etc. 

I  was  therefore  firmly  convinced  that  the  vegeta- 
rian doctrine  is  erroneous;  and  I  was  strengthened 
in  this  view  by  the  fact  that  my  chronic  dyspepsia 
appreciably  improved  when  I  began  to  avoid  pota- 
toes, and  farinaceous  and  leguminous  foods,  (from 
which  I  suffer  most  inconvenience,)  and  to  keep  more 
strictly  to  a  meat  diet. 

This  was  my  position  on  the  question  of  Vegeta- 
rianism at  the  time  that  I  made  my  researches  into 
the  action  of  odorous  matters,  and  published  my 
theory  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System.  Here,  again, 
intrusive  doctrinism  at  once  showed  its  hostility  to 
what  is  practically  good.  The  Sanitary  Woolen  Sys- 
tem was  vehemently  attacked  by  the  doctrinists  of 
vegetarianism.  The  attack,  however,  availed  as 
little  as  did  the  doctrinary  assaults  which  were  made 
from  other  quarters.  The  practical  value  of  the  sys- 
tem forced  recognition,  and  not  from  the  "  omni- 
vora "  alone,  but  especially  from  vegetarians,  in 
spite  of  the  opposition  of  their  doctrinary  leaders;  so 
that,  a  year  ago,  the  admission  was  made  in  the  vege- 
tarian journal,  the  JSFaturarzt,  that  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System  had  become  a  power  which  must  be 
taken  into  account. 

I  have,  since,  been  continually  in  communication, 
both  personally  and  by  correspondence,  with  vegeta- 
rians; luckily  not  with  the  doctrinarians,  but  with 
common-sense,  rational  people,  whose  maxim  is,  "Ex- 
amine everything   and  retain  the  best."     From   the 


18o  V^eyetarlanism. 

communications  I  thus  received,  detailing  personal, 
practical  experience,  which  I  value  higher  than  any 
doctrine,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  doctrinal 
and  the  practical  aspects  of  vegetarianism  are  not  in 
congruity — that  is  to  say, — the  vegetarian  mode  of 
life  can  show  great  practical  results,  although  the 
doctrinal  foundation  on  which  it  rests  is  erroneous. 
These  communications,  together  with  my  progress  in 
knowledge  respecting  the  nature  of  disease,  and  cure, 
and  the  practical  experience,  (now  first  fully  compre- 
hended,) which  I  had  had,  as  medical  superintendent, 
with  animals,  at  the  zoological  gardens,  greatly 
changed  my  attitude  towards  vegetarianism;  and 
assisted  me  to  a  different  and,  I  believe,  a  more  scien- 
tifically'- correct,  fundamental  reason  for  the  vegeta- 
rian mode  of  life. 

My  readers  are  familiar  with  my  maxim,  "  Disease 
is  stench;  "  ^.  e.,  everything  malodorous  either  causes 
or  disposes  to  disease;  and  this  tendency  is  enhanced 
in  proportion  to  the  offensiveness  of  the  odor.*  The 
cages  in  any  zoological  garden  or  menagerie  afford 
ready  proof  that  the  excrement  of  the  carnivora  is 
more  offensive  than  that  of  the  frugivora.  The  gen- 
eral experience  with  dogs  shows  that  this  difference 

*  TIic  pithiness  of  the  epii^ram  is  somewliat  at  the  cost  of 
scieutitic  accuracy,  as  the  succeeding  "/.  f,"  partly  discloses. 
Disease  is  not  strictly  stench,  nor  is  stench  disease,  or  even, 
except  mediately,  the  cause  of  disease,  b\it  onl}'  an  indica- 
tion of  the  presence  of  substances  possessing  morbific  pro})- 
erties.  It  seems  proper  to  state  this  explicitly,  since  the 
shadow  of  the  Doctor's  maxim  rests  upon  otlier  passages  in 
his  book.  Neither  is  it  in  entire  accord  with  the  Doctor's 
own  language  in  the  fifth  i)aragraph  of  his  chapter  on  the 
Deodorizatiou  of  the  body. — Editor. 


Vegetarian  ism.  187 

does  not  proceed  from  the  specifically  diverse  natures 
of  carnivora  and  frugivora,  but  from  their  different 
kinds  of  food.  The  exhalations  from  dogs,  espe- 
cially big  dogs,  that  are  fed  with  meat,  are  so  offensive 
that  the  animals  cannot  be  endured  in  a  room;  and  it 
is  an  almost  universal  rule  to  feed  watch-dogs  only 
with  meat,  and  to  confine  house-dogs  to  a  vegetarian 
diet,  although  such  is  not  their  natural  food.  It 
might  be  supposed  that  this  unnatural  nutriment 
would  disagree  with  house-dogs,  but  precisely  the 
contrary  is  the  case:  those  dogs  (chiefly  the  little 
ones,  the  exhalations  of  which  are  less  pungent)  fed 
with  meat  are  in  no  way  healthier  than  those  that  are 
compulsory  vegetarians;  on  the  contrary,  the  former 
have  a  disposition  to  eruptive  diseases,  digestive  com- 
plaints, inflammatory  disorders,  hemorrhoids,  etc. 

The  popular  expression  for  these  well-known  facts 
is  that  "  meat  is  too  heating  for  dogs  ;"  and  yet  no 
one  will  disj^ute  that  dogs,  as  appertaining  to  the  fox 
and  wolf  species,  with  similar  formation  of  the  teeth, 
intestines,  etc.,  are  naturally  carnivorous.  The  ex- 
planation of  this  apparent  contradiction  is,  that  every 
creature  has  its  so-called  natural  food;  but  as  soon 
as  it  is  withdrawn  from  its  natural  surroundings,  and 
placed  in  a  condition  which  is  not  natural  to  it,  a 
change  of  diet  is  necessary.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  carnivora,  but  it  is  also  true  of  the  frugivora. 
For  instance,  it  is  well  known  to  cattle-breeders,  that 
hay  is  more  wholesome  for  stalled  cattle  than  green 
food,  and  yet  the  latter  is  their  natural  nutriment. 

To  man's  physical  nature  the  same  laws  apply  as  to 
that  of  the  lower  animals,  as  any  one  who  is  not  al- 
ready convinced  can  prove  by  personal  observation. 


188  Vegetarianism. 

The  odor  of  the  evacuations,  as  well  as  of  the  exhala- 
tions, is  much  less  pungent  when  the  diet  is  vegeta- 
rian than  when  the  body  is  nourished  on  meat.  This 
greater  exemption  from  offensive  matter  I  consider 
to  be  the  cause  of  tlie  undeniable  benefits  of  the 
vegetarian  mode  of  living  in  numerous  cases  of  ill- 
ness; and  it  is  this  fact  which  gives  it  (vegetarian- 
ism) its  hygienic  importance;  for,  as  with  the  house- 
dog, so  with  most  civilized  men,  they  live  within  four 
walls,  and  are  thus  liable  to  be  injuriously  affected  by 
their  own  exhalations  in  proportion  to  their  mal- 
odorousness. 

Vegetarianism,  therefore,  contends,  (although  this 
has  not  hitherto  been  clearly  perceived,)  with  the 
same  enemy  that  is  assailed  by  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System;  and  it  is  for  this  reason,  in  the  natural 
order  of  things,  that  among  vegetarians  the  system 
at  once  found  enthusiastic  adherents.  The  "  noxious  " 
emanations  of  the  body  were  the  primary  cause  of 
vegetarianism;  and  some  sufferers  found  therein  a 
remedy  for  their  complaints;  while  others,  when  the 
external  and  internal  conditions  were  less  favorable, 
experienced  only  alleviation;  and  these  latter,  with 
an  unerring  instinct,  adopted  the  Sanitary  Woolen 
System  as  a  means  of  completing  their  cure. 

To  the  question  whether,  on  the  foregoing  grounds, 
I  recommend  vegetarianism,  I  can  reply  neither  in 
the  affirmative  nor  the  negative,  for  the  following 
reasons  : 

The  suitability  of  a  particular  form  of  nutriment 
to  man,  cannot  be  decided  solely  by  the  nature  of  the 
emanations  which  it  evolves;  the  degree  of  its  diges- 
tibility, and  of  its  nutritious  quality,  must  be  taken 


Vegetarianism.  189 

into  account.  In  these  respects  flesh  foods,  as  a  class, 
are  distinctly  superior  to  vegetable  foods;  although 
very  fat  meat  is  more  difficult  of  digestion  than  many 
kinds  of  fruit,  and,  in  point  of  nutritiousness,  legumes 
are  very  little  inferior  to  meat;  but,  on  the  whole, 
the  above  statement  (as  to  the  greater  nutritiousness 
of  flesh  foods)  holds  good.  When,  therefore,  the 
conditions  of  time  or  space  require  that  the  nutri- 
ment should  be  intensive,  meat  is  distinctly  more 
effectual  than  a  purely  vegetable  diet;  and  the  ma- 
jority of  vegetarians  have  practically  admitted  the 
inadequacy  of  the  latter,  by  adopting  two  of  the  most 
nourishing  and  easily  digested  animal  foods — milk 
and  eggs. 

I,  therefore,  go  thus  far  with  vegetarianism  :  For 
those  who  suffer  from  the  evolution  of  the  "  noxious  " 
emanations,  two  courses  are  open — the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  and  vegetarianism.  Either  or  both 
may  be  chosen.  I  consider  that  vegetarianism  is  es- 
pecially suited  to  the  constitutions  of  people  who  lead 
indoor  lives,  and  the  lightness  of  whose  occupation, 
creates  in  the  body  a  relatively  small  need  of  nourish- 
ment; in  short,  people  whose  calling  compels  them  to 
be  idle  indoors — as,  for  instance,  persons  who  have 
frequently  to  wait  in  a  condition  of  complete  inac- 
tivity for  orders  from  their  chiefs;  or  those  who  have 
only  a  light,  unvaried  occupation,  as  copying,  sewing, 
knitting,  reading,  etc. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  should  dissuade  those  who 
work  hard,  physically  or  mentally,  or  who,  on  other 
grounds,  require  easily  digested,  intensive  nutri- 
ment,— both,  from  a  purely  vegetarian  mode  of  liv- 
ing, and  from  confining  themselves  to  an  exclusively 


190  Positive  and  Negative  Kffects. 

meat  diet;  such  persons  require  a  mixed  diet,  and  tlic 
ivgimen  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System. 

J^etween  the  extremes  of  hard,  and  light  workers, 
there  will  be  many  cases  in  which  I  can  give  the  ad- 
vice onl}^,  both  as  to  vegetarianism  and  the  Sanitar}^ 
Woolen  System,  which  I  myself  have  always  followed 
to  advantage,  *'  Examine  everything  and  retain  the 
best."  I  have  been  reproached  with  riding  an  excel- 
lent principle  to  death;  but  my  only  principle  is  the 
foregoing  maxim,  and  I  admit  that  I  am  willing  to 
ride  this  at  all  times.  My  practice,  as  a  public  teacher 
and  adviser,  is  not  to  recommend  that  which  I  and 
many  others  have  recognized  as  the  best,  with  a  de- 
mand for  unconditional  acceptance,  and  submission 
to  my  authority;  I  simply  say,  *' Here  is  something 
which  many  have  approved,  and  which  is,  therefore, 
worthy  of  trial  by  others."  I  ask  only  that  the  trial 
shall  be  correct  and  thorough.  This  is  ray  position 
in  reference  to  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System,  and  from 
this  standpoint  I  have  discussed  vegetarianism. 

THE   POSITIVE   AND    NEGATIVE    EFFECTS 
OF  THE  SANITARY  WOOLEN  SYSTEM. 

(1883.) 

WHOEVER  has  read  my  publications  on  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System,  must  be  aware  of 
the  fact  that  I  have  never  claimed  for  it  that  it  is  a 
universal  remedy,  or  tliat  it  j)rotects  against  ever}'- 
<lisea8e.  As  I  find  that  the  contrary  is  frequently 
asserted,  I  will  now  state  wliat  experience  has  so  far 
bhown  that  the  Sanitary  System  cannot  do. 


JPositive  and  Negative  Effects.  19i 

As  regards  the  prevention  of  disease,  a  person  who 
is  suffering  from  any  disorder,  and  who  adopts  the 
System,  is  not  immediately  enabled  to  resist  the  in- 
fluences of  weather,  of  infection,  or  of  the  emotions. 
The  System  must  first  aid  the  body  to  expel  the  dis- 
order. Even  when  the  cure  is  not  complete,  the 
System  perceptibly  increases  the  power  of  resistance 
to  the  above-named  influences,  but  cannot  possibly 
make  it  perfect.  If  the  cure  be  complete,  then — and 
all  experience,  so  far,  confirms  this — the  resistence  to 
influences  of  weather  and  temperature  is  exactly  equal 
to  that  which  is  possessed  by  the  domestic  animals, — 
neither  greater  nor  less. 

Respecting  the  power  of  resisting  infection,  I  have 
constantly  made  the  qualification  that  this  power  does 
not  apply  equally  to  every  kind  of  infection;  the  so- 
called  abdominal,  infectious  diseases,  (cholera,  typhus, 
dysentery,)  are  those  against  which  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System  principally  protects.  Against  infec- 
tious diseases  of  the  skin,  the  System  affords  only  a 
modified  protection;  and  as  regards  its  action  in  cases 
of  chronicy  infectious  disease,  I  have  refrained  from 
expressing  any  opinion. 

This  was  my  position  from  the  first,  and  I  have 
never  swerved  from  it.  Against  some  diseases  the 
Sanitary  Woolen  System  affords  no  protection.  I 
know  that  it  has  not  availed  against  heart  disease, 
nor  against  diabetes,  as  to  the  origin  of  which  so 
little  is  yet  ascertained.  Of  course,  the  System  is 
powerless  to  prevent  the  evil  effects  of  illness  arising 
from  the  continued  use  of  unwholesome  food,  or  from 
inhaling  poisonous  vapors ;  in  other  words,  it  does  not 
protect  the  body  against  all   diseases   due  to   extra- 


192  Positive  and  Negative  Effects. 

neons  influences,  but  against  the  evil  effects  of  its  own 
"noxious"  exhalations. 

[Any  one  that  has  attentively  read  Dr.  Jaeger's 
book,  will  see,  at  once,  that  he  here  concedes  too  much 
against  his  System — that  he  claims  less  for  it  than  it 
is  entitled  to,  when  he  says,  there  are  some  diseases 
to  which  it  affords  no  protection.  The  plain  implica- 
tion of  his  fundamental  proposition  is  against  the 
concession.  While  it  cannot  avail  to  cure  heart  dis- 
ease or  diabetes,  it  is  evident  that  even  these  diseases 
must  be  in  some  degree  subject  to  the  general  con- 
dition of  the  body,  either  in  its  tendency  to  succumb 
to  perturbing  influences,  or  its  ability  to  resist  them. 
— Editor,] 

The  remedial  power  of  the  Sanitary  Woolen  Sys- 
tem may  be  summed  up  as  follows  : 

1.  The  Sanitary  Woolen  System  cure  runs  its 
course  similarly  to  all  so-called  constitutional  cures; 
^.  e.,  those  which  act  upon  the  constitution.  The  ne- 
cessity of  expelling  a  disease  through  the  secretions 
of  the  body  may  give  rise  to  "  critical "  symptoms, 
in  the  form  of  an  acute  attack  of  illness;  and,  as  with 
all  constitutional  methods  of  cure,  it  may  happen 
that  the  patient  will  succumb. 

2.  The  complaints  which  have  proved  most  readily 
susceptible  to  the  remedial  effects  of  the  Sanitary 
Woolen  System,  are  precisely  those  which  have  been 
most  obstinate,  when  treated  according  to  the  methods 
previously  known.  I  refer  to  purely  nervous  disor- 
ders; next  to  which  comes  the  group  of  catarrhal  and 
rheumatic  complaints.  Of  the  more  localized  diseases 
of  the  internal  organs,  the  most  susceptible  to  the 
System  have  been  lung  affections,  including  tubercles. 


Positive  and  Negative  Effects,  193 

The  greater  obstinacy  is  shown  by  diseases  of  tlie 
liver;  and  by  many,  although  not  by  all,  diseases  of 
the  kidneys.  Diabetes  withstands  the  System,  both 
as  a  preventive  and  a  cure.  The  System  prevents 
chlorosis,  but  will  not  cure  it,  although  it  powerfully 
contributes  to  that  end. 

Lastly,  the  tonsils  resist  the  remedial  power  of 
the  Sanitary  Woolen  System;  and  as  the  delicacy  of 
these  organs  constitutes,  in  my  own  case,  the  obstacle 
to  my  attainment  of  constant,  equable  health,  I  will 
treat  of  them  somewhat  more  in  detail. 

Just  as  certain,  natural,  cyclic,  bodily  incidents  are 
repeated  at  regular  periods;  so  there  are  some  cyclic 
disorders,  which,  without  any  apparent  cause,  recur 
at  more  or  less  definite  intervals,  and  which  are  fur- 
ther distinguished  by  the  circumstance  that  they  are 
hereditary.  The  most  characteristic  complaint  of 
this  class  is  inflammation  of  the  tonsils,  a  tendency 
to  which  was  transmitted  to  me  by  my  mother,  while 
two  of  my  children  inherit  from  me.  As  a  rule,  this 
inherited  tendency  is  first  revealed  at  the  period  of 
puberty;  and  such  was  the  case  with  myself  and  my 
two  children.  After  that  age,  I  suffered  every  winter 
from  an  acute  attack  of  inflammation  of  the  tonsils 
or  the  throat. 

Since  I  have  adopted  the  Sanitary  Woolen  System, 
the  complaint  is  no  longer  of  an  inflammatory  nature, 
but  it  has  assumed  a  catarrhal  form,  which  I  ascribe 
partly  to  the  incomplete  carrying-out  of  the  System 
during  the  course  of  its  development,  and  partly  to 
external,  injurious  influences,  such  as  the  condition 
of  the  atmosphere,  etc.  I  was  curious  as  to  what 
would  be  the  experience  of  the  a|)proaching  winter, 


19-1  l^oslttce  and  Keyallce  Mffects. 

the  first  in  which  I  had  carried  out  the  System  in  its 
entirety.  This  thoroughness  notwithstanding,  the 
complaint  returned  at  the  usual  period,  without  ap- 
preciable cause,  so  that  I  now  look  upon  it  as  the 
remainder  of  an  inherited  tendency  to  cyclically 
recurrent  inflammation  of  the  tonsils. 

This  winter  the  attack  was  unprecedentedly  mild, 
so  much  so  that  it  did  not  prevent  me,  in  February, 
on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Dresden,  from  speaking, 
with  only  one  hour's  interruption,  incessantly  from 
2  P.M.  to  4  A.M.;  at  9  a.m.  I  resumed  discussion,  my 
voice  being  quite  unaffected  until  6  p.m.  ;  and  again, 
in  the  train,  from  2  to  7  in  the  early  morning.  An- 
other week  I  spoke,  on  Monday,  for  eight  and  a  half 
hours;  on  Thursday  for  seventeen  hours,  with  an  in- 
termission of  two  and  a  half  hours;  on  Friday  for 
nineteen  hours,  without  intermission.  During  this 
time  my  voice  was  husky,  and  occasionally  hoarse; 
but  it  sustained  no  injury  from  the  unusual  exertion. 
I  may  add  that  my  total  allowance  of  sleep  from 
Monday  to  the  following  Saturday  was  twenty-five 
hours. 

My  two  children,  who  have  inherited  this  delicacy 
of  the  tonsils  from  me,  also  felt  none  of  its  effects 
until  they  reached  the  age  of  puberty,  when,  in  one 
case,  it  took  the  form  of  an  affection  of  the  tonsils 
and  larynx,  with  feverish  symptoms;  but  soon 
changed  into  chronic  hoarseness,  free  from  all  fever; 
in  the  other  case,  there  was,  from  the  first,  an  entire 
absence  of  feverish  symptoms,  as  is  now  the  case 
with  myself. 

Another  of  my  children,  who  arrived  at  adult  years 
some  time   ago,  was   similarly   troubled   during   the 


Sanitary  Objections  to  Vegetable  Fibre.       195 

period  of  youth,  but  has  long  been  free  from  the 
disorder.  This  proves  that  in  the  case  of  myself 
and  my  two  children,  who  first  suffered  from  this 
complaint  when  we  were  adolescent,  the  cause  does 
not  lie  in  a  faulty  mode  of  living,  and  is  too  deeply 
implanted  in  the  constitution  to  be  prevented  or 
cured  by  any  particular,  system. 


VEGETABLE  FIBRE,   WHEN  AND   WHY 
UNSANATORY. 

(1884.) 

THE  sanitary  objections  to  materials  of  vegetable 
fibre  are  patent  from  the  following  facts  : 

1.  Every  sick  person  gives  forth  a  malodorous 
exhalation;  a  proof  of  this  is  afforded  in  the  attrac- 
tion of  flies,  which  are  allured  by  matter  which  has 
become  malodorous. 

2.  An  offensive  atmosphere,  especially  when  it  has 
become  so  through  human  exhalations,  is  a  well- 
known  cause  of  illness. 

3.  Bacteria  are  "  koprophilous "  parasites,  which 
multiply  in  solutions  of  offensive-smelling  nutri- 
ment. 

4.  Living  plants  are  "  koprophagous,"  attracting 
all  evil  odors,  and  assimilating  them.  The  influence 
of  vegetation  in  purifying  the  air  has  long  been 
recognized. 

5.  Dead  vegetable  fibre  has  a  similar  power  of  ab- 
sorbing evil  odors;  as,  however,  it  cannot  assimilate 
them,  the  ordinary  laws  of  gas-absorption  prevail; 
i.e.,  the  absorption  is  greatest  under  conditions  of 


196       Sanitary  Ohjections  to  Vegetable  Fibre. 

cold,  and  the  odors  are  again  exhaled  when  the  fibre 
is  warmed  or  wetted.  Clothing,  bedding,  and,  gener- 
ally, all  material  of  vegetable  fibre,  while  cold,  {i.  e., 
not  in  use,)  and  placed  in  the  atmosjihere  of  human 
beings,  attract  the  malodorous  exhalations  until  no 
more  can  be  absorbed;  as  soon  as  such  clothing,  bed- 
ding, etc.,  come  in  contact  with  the  warm  body,  these 
emanations  are  given  off  in  proportion  to  the  degree 
of  temj^erature.  This  directly  induces  spasmodic 
action  of  the  capillaries  of  the  skin,  (a  feeling  of 
chill,)  and  the  atmosphere  breathed  is  corrupted. 
Both  effects  are  intensified  when  the  fibre  is  damp. 
Wet,  unvarnished,  or  unpainted  wooden  floors,  and 
damp  linen  or  cotton  shirts,  or  bedding,  are  notoriously 
dangerous  to  health. 

6.  Just  as  living,  animal  substance,  when  at  rest, 
stores  up  oxygen,  so,  under  similar  conditions,  it 
stores  up  the  noxious  emanations  proceeding  from 
the  digested  food;  but  while  the  chlorophyl  of  living 
vegetable  fibre  assimilates  such  emanations,  the  living 
animal  substance  does  not  possess  that  faculty.  These 
noxious  emanations  therefore  readily  become  disen- 
[]^aged  in  the  body,  (especially  when  there  is  excessive 
internal  heat,)  and  permeate  the  tissues  and  juices, 
inducing  similar  phenomena  to  those  caused  by  the 
direct  inhalation  of  malodorous  air;  viz.,  spasmodic 
action  of  the  capillaries  of  the  skin,  with  feverish 
shivering  while  the  spasms  last.  Further,  the  insuf- 
ficient throwing-off,  by  the  skin,  of  the  internal 
warmth  is  felt,  when  the  spasms  subside,  as  febrile 
heat  on  the  surface.  The  retention  of  the  noxious 
emanations  which  proceed  from  the  digested  food,  is 
thus  tantamount  to  a  disposition  to  feverish  sickness. 


About  Shrinkage.  197 

7.  The  retention  of  the  emanations  which  proceed 
from  the  digested  food,  also  gives  rise  to  the  so-called 
ferment  diseases;  as  they  impart  to  the  juices  of  the 
body  the  foecal  taint  which  these  "  koprophilous " 
ferments  require. 

8.  Whoever,  therefore,  uses  clothing,  bedding,  and 
materials  of  vegetable  fibre,  not  sanitarily  treated,  is 
continually  exposed  to  the  danger  involved  by  the 
retention  of  the  emanations  from  the  digested  food; 
and  this  danger  is  avoided  as  soon  as  use  is  made  of 
animal  fibre  only,  or  of  such  vegetable  fibre  as  has 
been  impregnated  with  fatty  or  resinous  matter;  that 
is,  with  matter  which  is  not  soluble  in  water;  and  so 
rendered  incapable  of  absorbing  evil  odors. 

ABOUT   SHRmKAGE. 

THERE  is  no  absolutely  unmixed  good.  There  are 
spots  on  the  sun.  \%  is  the  brightest  light  that 
casts  the  darkest  shadow.  Even  the  all-wool  garment 
is  not  exempt  from  this  universal  law.  The  very  struc- 
ture that  gives  the  woolen  fibre  its  great  superiority 
over  all  other  clothing  materials,  is  the  cause  of  its 
only  defect — its  liability  to  shrink.  To  shrink  is  a 
possibility  to  every  woolen  fabric.  It  inheres  in  its 
very  substance.  To  remove  this  possibility  implies 
the  destruction  of  the  fibre  itself — or,  at  least,  of  all 
that  is  valuable  in  it  from  a  hygienic  point  of  view. 
The  problem  is  to  reduce  this  shrinking  tendency  to 
a  minimum.  This  can  be  done  only  by  recognizing 
the  modus  operandi  of  the  process,  and  by  observing 
the  known  methods  of  counteracting  it.  The  shrink- 
ing of  woolen  is  a  "  fulling  "  or  "  felting  "  process — 


198  Washing. 

clue  chiefly  to  tlie  imbrications,  or  so-called  "scales," 
characteristic  of  the  ultimate  fibre,  and  partly  to  its 
spiral  form.  The  transverse  lines  on  the  fibres,  as 
shown  in  the  microscopic  view,  fig.  I.  page  202,  repre- 
sent the  scales  above  referred  to.  Some  idea  of  the 
extent  to  which  these  fibres  are  magnified,  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that  the  scales  vary  in  number 
according  to  the  fineness  of  the  wool,  from  1,800  to 
nearly  4,000  to  the  inch.  The  thickness  of  these 
scales  at  their  free  edges,  does  not  exceed  1-100,000 
of  an  inch.  And  yet  it  is  to  the  interlocking  of  these 
scales,  when  set  in  opposite  directions,  that  fulling, 
felting,  and  shrinJcing,  are  due.  Moved  upon  one 
another  in  the  direction  of  their  bases,  the  scales  glide 
over  each  other  easily;  drawn  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, they  interlock,  and  arrest  the  movement.  Now 
it  is  obvious  why  all  possible  manipulation  of  the 
fabric,  such  as  rubbing,  wringing,  kneading,  should 
be  strictly  guarded  against.  (See  microscopic  views 
on  pages  202,  203.)— Editor. 

The  following  washing  directions  are  based  upon 
the  above-described  properties  of  the  woolen  fibre: 

WASHING. 

THE  clothes  should  be  placed  to  soak  in  water 
(at  about  100°  Fahr. — as  hot  as  can  be  borne 
by  the  hand)  in  which  soap  has  been  boiled. 

To  about  every  six  gallons  of  water  (or  sufficient 

ioY  washing  six  large  garments  and  several  smaller 

articles)  add  three  tablespoonfuls  of  liquid  ammonia, 

which  removes  grease  deposited  by  perspiration. 

Any  good  soap  may  be  used,  but  Ammonia  Soap, 


Washing.  199 

which  combines  ammonia  in  the  proper  proportion,  is 
recommended.  It  is  supplied  by  the  Company  at  40c. 
for  a  tin  can  of  2  lbs.  The  proportion  to  be  used  is 
f  lb.  to  6  gallons  of  water. 

Cover  the  clothes  well,  as  the  retained  heat  assists 
the  removal  of  grease. 

After  an  hour's  soaking,  wash  out,  by  drawing 
through  the  hand.  Avoid  rubbing.  Yery  dirty  spots 
should  be  brushed  with  a  soft  brush. 

Rinse  in  water  at  the  same  temperature  as  that 
given  above,  as  many  times  as  may  be  necessary 
thoroughly  to  remove  the  soap. 

It  will  greatly  contribute  to  the  desired  result,  to 
wash,  rinse  and  dry  the  garments  in  the  same  tem- 
perature, without  variation  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end. 

The  use  of  a  wringer  is  recommended,  as  it  expels 
the  water  with  the  least  friction. 

Hang  the  clothes  up  lengthways  to  dry. 

Iron  v:hile  still  damp.,  stretching  the  article  to  the 
necessary  length  and  width.  The  iron  should  not  be 
unnecessarily  hot. 

No  soda  or  lye  shoidd  be  used. 

The  odor  of  the  ammonia  disappears  when  the  soap 
has  been  removed. 

Note. — Experience  has  shown  that  the  shrinking  of 
Woolen  Clothing  is  influenced  by  the  nature  of  the 
perspiration  given  off  by  the  wearer;  especially  when 
the  clothing  is  first  adopted,  and  its  saluary  effect 
causes  the  skin  to  expel  the  excretions  previously  re- 
pressed and  retained. 


200  ''The  Framl  Detected:' 


"  THE  FRAUD  DETECTED." 

SANATORY  WOOLENS  VERSUS  FRAUDULENT  IMITATIONS. 

6i  TTTHENEVER  there  is  put  upon  the  market  a 
V  V  new  commodity  which  proves  to  be  better 
than  an^^thing  in  the  same  line  preceding  it,  and 
w^hich  wins  its  way  to  popular  favor,  it  is  pretty  sure 
to  have,  soon,  to  compete  with  imitations.  In  no  in- 
stance has  this  fact  been  more  strikingly  illustrated 
than  in  the  case  of  the  Sanatory  Woolens  of  the 
Jaeger  System.  The  imitations  are  so  numerous,  that 
it  may  be  said,  their  name  is  legion.  Goods  offered 
as  all-wool,  'Jaeger'  underwear,  stamped  with  the 
word  *  Normal ' — the  property  of  the  Jaeger  System 
— and  purporting  to  come  from  Stuttgart,  the  source 
of  the  genuine  Jaeger  importations — with  other  de- 
vices calculated  to  deceive,  can  be  found  in  almost 
every  city  in  the  United  States.  One  of  these  has 
been  sent  to  the  Jaeger  Sanitary  Woolen  System 
Company,  at  827  and  829  Broadway,  for  analysis — 
the  only  way  in  which  the  fraud  can  be  detected, 
since  the  ultimate  fibres  of  the  wool  and  cotton  are 
combined  in  the  same  thread.  This  analysis  is  done 
chemically  and  by  the  microscope.  Under  a  glass  of 
from  300  to  500-diameter  power,  the  Jaeger  wool 
filaments  are  clearly  seen  to  be  all  alike  in  all  general 
characteristics.  They  are  shown  to  be  tubular,  and 
cylindrical  in  form,  and  to  be  marked  with  wavy, 
transverse  lines^  denoting  the  imbricated  scales,  upon 
which  the  property  of  felting  depends.     On  the  other 


''The  l^Vaucl  UetectaV  201 

hand,  the  cotton  fibre  is  tape-like,  resembling  a  flat- 
tened tube,  devoid  of  the  cross  lines,  and  generally 
somewhat  twisted,  like  an  auger.  A  tuft  taken  from 
the  spurious  article,  so  closely  resembling  the  genuine 
that  none  but  the  most  skilled  expert  would  even 
suspect  anything  wrong,  shows,  under  the  glass,  the 
woolen  and  cotton  fibres  interlaced,  in  the  proportion 
of  about  331  per  cent,  of  the  latter. 

"  But  the  chemical  test  is  by  far  the  more  striking. 
A  remnant  of  the  Jaeger  fabric,  thrown  into  a  strong, 
hot  solution  of  caustic  soda,  wholly  disappears  in  a 
few  seconds,  leaving  only  a  brownish  liquid  behind — 
the  discoloration  being  due  to  the  decomposition  of 
the  dark-hued  wool,  which,  when  mixed  with  the 
white,  gives  the  '  natural-gray '  color. 

"  The  almost  pure  gelatine,  of  which  the  woolen 
fibre  is  composed,  is  rapidly  dissolved  in  the  caustic 
solution,  while  upon  the  cotton  fibre  the  solution  has 
no  appreciable  eifect.  So,  when  a  clipping  from  the 
imitation  garment  is  immersed  in  the  solution,  the 
woolen  component  at  once  disappears,  leaving  a  patch 
of  well-woven,  cotton  network  behind,  looking  very 
much  like  a  piece  of  fine  mosquito-bar.  [*] 

"The  result  shows  not  only  the  grossness  of  the 
fraud,  but  the  ingenuity  with  which  it  is  perpetrated." 
—  The  Daily  Standard-  TJnion^  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

The  cuts  1,  2  and  3  on  pages  202,  203,  represent 
microscopic  views  of  the  w^oolen  and  cotton  fibres 
as  revealed  in  the  above-described  analyses. 


*When,  iu  the  adulterated  fabric,  the  cotton  fibre  is  not 
spun  in  with  the  woolen,  the  former  will  be  found  in  the 
solution  in  the  form  of  an  entangled  mass  of  filaments, 


202 


''The  Fraud  JJt.tectecV 


Fig.    1.      Wool  Fibres. 

Fig    1  —A  microscopic  view  of  woolen  fibres  taken  from  a  Jaeger 
garment 


\     / 


Fio    2.  —  Cotton  Fibres 
Fig.  2.— a  microscopic  view  o(  cotton  fibres. 


aril 


The  Fraud  Detected?'' 


203 


Fig.  3. 

Fig.  3.— a  microscopic  view  of  woolen  and  cotton  fibres  mixed,  taken 
from  an  imitation,  "all-wool"  garment.  The  true  relative  size  of  the 
cotton  fibre  is  seen  in  Fig.  3. 


Fig. 


Fig.  4.— a  microscopic  view  of  fibres  taken  from  an  imitation  fabric 
of  inferior  quality,  showing  seven  grades  of  wool  and  a  filament  of  some 
foreign  substance. 


Addendu'in.  20ii 


ADDENDUM. 


SINCE  the  foregoing  paragraphs  on  fire-proof 
clothing  (pages  120-122)  were  put  in  type,  our 
attention  has  been  called  to  the  corresponding  sec- 
tion in  a  late  London  edition  of  Health  Culture, 
from  which  we  take  the  following  passages  : 

"  Every  winter  brings  its  sad  record  of  that  most 
terrible  form  of  death,  burning  alive.  So  surely  as 
the  season  arrives  when  candles  are  lighted  and  fires 
are  kindled  in  open  grates,  the  newspapers  recount 
one  horror  after  another.  Young  children,  blooming 
girls,  mothers  of  families,  and  the  old,  all  are  among 
the  victims  of  *  death  by  burning.' 

"In  a  recent  instance,  one  of  two  sisters,  who 
were  dressing  for  a  ball,  caught  fire  at  the  lighted 
candle  on  the  toilette  table  ;  the  other  tried  to 
extinguish  the  flames,  and  both  were  burned  to 
death.  In  another  case,  a  lady  who  was  walking  in 
the  grounds  of  the  London  Exhibition,  passed  over  a 
iiaming  match,  thrown  carelessly  down  by  a  smoker, 
and  was  also  burned  to  death.  It  would  be  easy  to 
fill  this  book  with  similar  authentic  horrors  ;  but  it 
will  be  more  to  the  purpose  to  point  out,  that  all  the 
agonized  deaths  and  saddened  memories  which  have 
been  due  to  the  clothing  and  bedding  of  the  victims 
accidentally  catching  fire,  would  have  been  avoided  if 
the  material  of  the  clothing  and  bedding  had  been  of 
animal  wool,  instead  of  vegetable  fibre  ;  as,  between 
these  two  classes  of  materials,  there  is  a  very  great 
difference  in  respect  to  inflammability." 


INDEX. 


Abdominal  organs,  11.  107. 

AbgiTation,  mental,  13. 

Acid,  acetic  28.  103:  butyric,  29:  car- 
bonic. 39.  119:  mm'iatic,  184:  prus- 
sic,  53:  sulphm'ie.  155:  tartaric,  28. 
29.  30:  use  in  fermentation,  28. 

Affections,  inflammatory,  21. 

Air,  change  of,  127.  128:  from  drains, 
130:  malodorous,  198:  open,  118: 
underground,  24:  upper,  27. 

Albumen,  20.  58.  59.  103. 

Albuminous  substances,  38. 

Alimentary  canal,  37.  43. 

Allopathic  doses,  158. 

Ammonia  soap,  198. 

Animals,  distinguish  poisons,  51.  53: 
domestic,  129.  191:  feathered,  85: 
frugivorous  183:  hairy,  85:  lower, 
187:  mammiferous,  180:  open  air, 
33:  lower,  19:  wild,  148. 

Animal  tissue,  103:  wool,  70. 

Aniline  dyes,  164. 

Antiseptics,  27. 

Apoplexy,  11,  84. 

Ape,  genus,  183. 

Army,  83:  Gei*man,  113:  service,  33. 
34. 

Arsenic  eaters,  48. 

Asthma,  169. 

Athletic  sports,  164. 

Atmosphere,  55:  corrupted,  196:  In 
rooms,  18:  stagnation  of,  149:  un- 
dergroimd.  23.  24. 

Australian  natives,  94. 


B 

Bacteria,  23.  26.  48. 
phagous,"  195. 
'Barm,"  25. 


195 :    "  kopro- 


Bath,  Tm-kish.  14.  16.  17.  99. 127:  cold. 
104.  137.  138. 

Baldness,  93.  120. 

Banting  cure,  13.  14. 

Bathing,  open  air,  139. 180.  181:  daily, 
182. 

Bed,  57:  odorous  matters  of,  56:  san- 
atory woolen,  141. 

Bedding,  49.  50.  58.  81.  120.  129.  177. 
196:  cleansed,  178.  179. 

Bedroom  window,  118. 

Bedrooms,  flowers  in,  56:  heated,  24. 

Bedrooms  badly  ventilated.  82. 

Bedding,  49.  50.  56.  6^.  196:  sanatory 
woolen,  62.  63.  UO.  129. 

Bell,  Dr.  A.  N.,  47.  48. 

Belt,  166:  gymnastic,  166:  leather, 
167:  Tyrolese,  171:  wool,  166. 

Blood,  14.  43.  47:  distribution  of,  11. 
19.  77  105.  108:  see  distribution. 

Blood,  heasL  of,  59:  fullness  of,  10: 
human,  46:  poorness  of,  10.  14: 
pressure  of,  77:  from  skin,  138:  in 
skin,  108:  supply,  6S:  thickness  of, 
84:  transmission  of,  65:  vessels,  10. 
19.  36.  43.  59.  68. 

Body,  action  of  inhaled  or  swallowed 
substances  on,  163:  attack  against, 
37:  bulk  of,  34.  So:  condition  of,  44: 
constituents  of,  19:  constitution  of, 
39:  deodorization  of,  62.  63:  distri- 
bution of  blood  in,  105:  fat  in,  13: 
functions  of,  12 :  germs  in,  30: 
liabiUty  to  disease  of,  20:  living.  30: 
Uving  tissues  of,  30:  measiirement 
of,  69.  70:  morbific  deposits  in,  107. 
112:  morbific  germs  of,  30:  pro- 
portion of,  35:  seeds  of  infection 
m.  46.  188:  specific  weight  of,  21. 
33.  34.  38.  39:  substance  of,  10: 
temperature  of,  4:  tissues  of,  32: 
weight  of,  35. 


208 


Index. 


Bones,  36.  39:    boue-earth,  39.  40: 

fracture  of.  36. 
Boot,  173.  170:  sanatory  woolen,  173. 

174:  waterproof.  175. 
Brain,  37.  42.  68:  acti^^ty  of,  1.5:  con- 
stituents of,  38:  fatty  degeneration 

of,  13. 
Brillat  Savarin,  gourmand,  100. 
Breathing,  capacity  of ,  VI:  conditiou.s 

of,  169:  difficulty  in,  169:  measure 

of,  12. 
Breeches,  stockinet,  116. 
Brewers'  mash,  25.  29:  yeast.  26. 
Buckskins,  111.  112.  116 
Buckskin  leather  boots,  175:  dancing 

shoes,  175:  leather,  174. 
Bums,  142. 
Butyric  acid,  29. 


C 


Carbonic  acid,  experiments  with,  119. 

Carbonized  wool,  142. 

Camivora,  187. 

Capacity  for  work,  16.  17.  19.  33.  37. 

Catarrh,  65.  S6.  68.  88.  89.  90.  123.  124. 
125.  178.  193:  chronic,  50:  infection, 
122.  125. 

Cattle-breeders,  187. 

Cattle,  grazing,  128:  housed,  12^': 
stalled.  130:  stung,  117. 

Cellar  floors,  cementing  of,  24. 

Centenarians,  95. 

Ces-spools,  26.  30. 

ChemLse.  73.  92. 

Chemisettes,  .50. 

Chest,  cavities,  12:  complaints,  40: 
measure,  168:  note,  102. 

Chicken-pox,  98. 

Children,  194.  195:  mortality  of,  181. 
182:  treatment  of,  33.  82.  95.  181. 

( 'hill.H,  6.  17.  18.  .58.  60.  80.  120. 

Chlorosis,  193. 

Cholera,  26.  37.  42,  45.  61.  191:  epi- 
demics, 31. 

Chronic  disorders.  58.  191. 

Cleanliness  of  the  "  System."  98. 


Cleansing  wool,  white  and  brown, 
178. 

Climate,  changes  of,  22:  mountain. 
112. 

Cloth,  woolen,  152. 

Clothes,  7,':  materials  of,  132:  wash- 
ing of,  182. 

Coal,  39.  132:  dust,  132. 

Coat,  coats,  54.  63.  71.  72.  92. 

Coat,  change  of.  86 :  double-breasted, 
77.  78:  interior  of,  72.  Ill:  linings, 
98 :  removal  of,  84.  92 :  sanatory, 
76.  83:  winter,  105. 

Clothing,  7.  49.  50.  70.  71.  81.  86.  177. 
196:  black,  156:  discomfort  of,  159: 
dyes  in,  162:  hardens  body,  106: 
light-colored,  156 :  linen  and  cot- 
ton, 71.  105:  materials,  70:  non- 
sanatory,  49 :  sanitarily  dyed,  164  : 
sanatory,  62.  63:  sanatory,  "  crisis" 
of,  109:  sanitarily  colored,  164:  sum- 
mer and  winter,  83. 85. 164:  woolen, 
76.  84.  86.  87.  89.  107.  108.  120.  129. 
138:  unsanatory,  .54. 

Clubs,  (Jerman  gymnastic,  79,  80. 

Cochineal,  160. 161. 165:  effect  of,  161. 
165. 

Collar,  100.  101 :  linen,  102:  woolen, 
effect  on  voice,  101.  102. 

Cold,  37.  60  68.  71.  100.  104:  bath,  104: 
catching,  89.  180 :  cough,  168 :  ex- 
posure to,  68.  106. 

Cold  \A'ater  cure,  107. 

Colds.  17.  18.  37.  40.  58.  60.  66.  68.  71. 
72. 100. 180:  contagion,  epidemic,  40. 

Colors,  159  :  (see  dyes:)  choice  of, 
158.  159:  dark,  1.54:  light  and  dark, 
156:  natural,  154:  sanitary  effects 
of,  152.  157.  162.  165. 

Coloring  matters,  154. 155. 156:  effects 
of,  102.  164:  volatility  of,  155:  con- 
centrated, 1.54.  1.56. 

Comforter,  102. 

Complaints,  1.37. 

Concentration,  25.  26.  27.  82.  51.  .52. 
.56.  65:  degrees  of,  153.  154.  156:  re- 
hitionsof.  51.  52.  53.  56. 


Index. 


20ft 


Concentrated  coloring  matter,  154. 

'•  Condition  "  defined,  9:  bodily.  34. 

Consumption,  pulmonary,  184. 

Constitution,  33.  59:  debilitated,  9i  : 
diversities  of ,  158:  hereditary,95:  in- 
dividual, 157;  normal,  165:  strength 
of,  33. 

Constitutions  differ,  61.  108. 

Constituents,  bodily,  9.  18.  35.  59. 

Contagion,  65.  66:  epidemic,  40. 

Corset,  169.  172. 

Cotton,  54,  55.  70.  98.  99:  adultera- 
tions, 111.  112:  baneful  effects  of, 
116 :  clothing,  dangerous,  121  :  a 
conductor,  5  :  sheets,  63:  shirt,  55: 
test  by  burning,  126. 

Cough.  57.  66.  68.  90.  91.  97.  12:3.  144. 
180. 

Corpulence,  168. 
Counter  irritation,  107. 
Cow,  domestic,  39:  cows.  157.    Cow- 
hair,  142. 
Cow-pox  matter,  65. 
Cramp,  writers",  151. 
Cravat,  101.  102. 
Crawfish,  158.  162. 
Cures,  constitutional,  192. 
Curative  powers  of  wool,  106. 
Curtains,  55.  1;9.  137. 
Cyclic  disorders,  193. 

D 

Dancing,  164. 

Dead  vegetable  fibre,  195. 

Decomposition,  26.  30.  58.  59. 

Deodorization,  61.  65.  67.  179. 

Deodorizer,  platinum  lamp,  143. 

Designs,  registered,  117. 

Desert,  inhabitants  of,  85. 

Diabetes,  191.  193. 

Diaphragm,  157.  169.  170.  171. 

Diarrhoea,  157. 

Die  Niediigen  Pllze,  20. 

Diet,  defined,  98.  99.  100:  change  of, 

127.   187  :   meat,   190 :   mixed.  190 : 

vegetable,  187.  188. 189. 
Digestion,  47.  68.  81.  92.  123.  148.  149. 


I  Digestive  complaints,  187:  organs,  50. 
92.  183. 

Disease,  9.  10.  19.  31.  44.  47.  48.  58.  65. 
97.  98 :  cause  of,  20:  chronic,  191 : 
crisis  of,  57.  58.  60:  epidemic,  33.  42. 
94:  germs,  22.  37.  44.  64.  125:  of  in 
drinking-water,  44:  hereditary,  193: 
iDfectious,  32.  33.  43.  49.  64.  67.  191 : 
internal  organs,  172  :  "  Disease  is 
stench,'' 186:  natureof,  186:  poisons 
of,  50:  prevention  of,  191. 

Diphtheria,  96.  97.  98. 

Disinfection,  26.  27.  63.  64. 

Dislocations,  36. 

Disorders,  42 :  chronic,  5S  :  cyclic, 
191:  hereditary,  193:  inflammatory, 
187:  nervous,  192. 

Distribution  of  blood,  105. 

Dizziness,  11. 

DOEBEREINER,  145. 

Doctrinarians,  185:  Doctrinism,  183. 
Domestic  animals,  123.  127.  129,  191. 
Doses,  allopathic,  158:  homoeopathic, 

163. 
Drain,  drains.  64.  65.  180:  air  from, 

130. 
Drawers.  73:  pure  wool.  73.  139. 
Dreams,  180. 

Dre.ss,,  dresses,  57.  73.  99.  112. 
Drink,  44.  45. 
Dropsy,  11.  12.  14. 17. 
Dust,  87.  90.  99  132.  133.  134.  175.  176: 

inhalation  of,  87.  88:  particles  of, 

90. 
Duration  of  life,  94. 
DvvelliQg-room,  ventilated,  130. 
Dye,  153:  action  of ,  159:  dark,  156. 
Dyes,  fast,  155.  163.  164.  165. 
Dyscrasy,  58.  60.  109. 
Dysentery,  26.  45. 
Dyspepsy,  166:  chronic,  185. 


E 


Earth,  132:  dust,  45. 

Effluvia,  46.  56:  offensive,  45.  64. 

Electricity,  45.  55.  103. 


210 


Index. 


Elements,  noxious,  119. 

Emanations.  .5^  jsi:  noxious,  51).  00. 
n.  73.  82.  83  119.  124.  147.  148.  188. 
189.  196:  from  tissue;  70:  offensive, 
59:  salutary,  108:  volatile,  45. 

Emotions,  41.  81.  82.  191. 

Energy,  mental,  10  13.  10:  vital.  44. 

Epidemic  affections,  64:  attacks,  27: 
disorders,  58.  94:  epidemics,  32.  43. 
45.  4d.  89:  immunity  from,  88.  96. 

Equanimity,  49.  %l:  loss  of,  87. 

Equilibrium,  105.  127. 

Essence,  volatile,  43. 

Evaporation,  18  72.  75.  77.  84.  85.  93. 
107.  138.  154.  103.  174:  coloring  mat- 
ter, 154:  cutaneous,  75.  76. 

Evil  odors,  197. 

Examinations,  microscopic,  125. 

Excretions,  offensive,  30:  renal,  43. 

Exhalations,  106. 131.  19G:  affected  by 
mood,  81:  body's,  179:  cutaneous, 
74.  76.  77:  human,  195:  malodorous, 
6:  noxious,  5  6.  56.  107.  119.  120. 
155.  165.  192 :  poisonous,  6.  55: 
noxious  vapors,  127:  salutary,  50. 
155. 


Fabrics,  dyed,  iffl. 

Fat,  10.  30.  37.  38.  69.  70:  accumula- 
tion of.  12:  animal.  99:  elimination 
of.  70:  siu-plus.  78:  excess  of,  107: 
and  water  excess  of,  9.  10.  18.  19. 
21.36.  41 

Fatty  degeneration  of  brain,  13 : 
matter,  17. 

Feathers,  141. 

Foet,  swollen,  174. 

Fermentation,  25.  26.  28.  30:  germs 
of,  28:  lacteous,  28:  vinous,  28. 

Ferment,  37:  acetfms,  29. 

Felt,  93:  insole,  176:  felting,  197. 

Fever,  88:  intermittent,  6.  23.  134: 
mucus.  37. 

Fez.  Turkish,  93. 

Fibre,  woolen,  124:  microscopic  view 
of,  202.  203. 


Fibres,  animal.  93  142. 

Field-mice,  128. 

Fit,  60:  crying,  180:  fits  ooughiug, 
66,  90:  apoplectic,  84. 

Flannel,  75;  shrink,  92. 

Flatulence,  147. 

Flesh,  compact,  20:  firm,  22.  106  lb2: 
flabby,  97. 

Flies,  stinging,  115. 

Flowers  in  bedrooms,  52. 

Food,  44.  45.  5:3.  81 :  digested,  82.  14; . 
196.  197:  lack  of,  10:  materials,  25: 
natural,  187:  unnatural,  183:  un- 
wholesome, 191. 

Foods,  157.  188:  animal,  189:  dislike 
of,  157 :  flesh,  189 :  leguminous, 
185:  vegetable,  189. 

Fosse,  64. 

Foot,  140. 

Foxes,  128. 

Fractures,  36. 

Fragrance,  56. 

Frankfort  Zoological  Gardens,  \x\. 
18G. 

Frugivora.  186.  187. 

Fruit-juices,  25.  26. 

Fruits,  preserved,  26. 

t^iel,  39. 

"Fulling,''  149. 

Functions,  bodily,  18. 

Fungi,  23.  26.  27.  28:  fermenting,  29 : 
morbific,  27:  subordinate,  25. 

Furniture,  131.  133.  134.  135.  13C. 

Fusel-oil,  149. 

G 

Gadflies,  115.  116.  117. 
Game,  ground,  128. 
Garlic,  158. 

Garment,    combination,    160  :     gar- 
ments, woolen,  99. 
Gas-absorption,  laws  of,  195. 
Gasse-,  39:  sewer,  04. 
Gelatine,  103.  170. 
Genus  cpidemicus,  158. 
(Jerman  Tyrolese,  170. 
Germs,  20.  22.  24.  25.  26.  27.  29.  31.  37. 


Index. 


211 


44.  45.  50.  64.  65  :  infection,  40.  46  : 
morbific,  30:  numerical  strength  of , 
31:  of  disease  2C:  infection,  32.  36. 
65 :  propagation  of,  68  :  of  putre- 
faction and  fermentation,  28. 

Gu'ded  loins  165. 

Glove,  cotton  and  stings,  116:  woolen 
and  stings.  115. 

Gloves,  sanatory  woolen,  117. 

Gnats,  115.  116.  117. 

Goats,  milk  of,  157. 

Gout,  12. 

Grams,  34.  36.  39.  87. 

Grease,  animal,  175:  mineral,  175. 176. 

Grief,  42. 

Gun-cotton,  121. 

Gymnasts,  79.  80 :  gymnastic  drill, 
festivals,  matches,  80. 

Gymnastics,  107:  German  System, 
79.  80. 

H 

Habits,  sedentary,  10. 

Handkerchief,  infection,  123.  124  : 
sanatory  woolen,  122.  124.  125. 

Eardenmg,  27.  44.  94.  96:  body,  80. 

Hat,  98 :  hats,  beaver,  93:  note,  93. 

Headache,  57.  66.  93.  146. 148.  149. 177. 
178. 

Health,  13.  21.  41.  47.  71.  89:  general, 
98  :  imperfect,  6  i :  of  apes,  183  : 
what  it  comprehends,  47 :  writers 
on,  126. 

Heart,  11.  68:  burn,  147.  178:  disease, 
191:  palpitation  of,  57. 

Heat,  36.  68.  81.  b6.  103.  112.  113:  ani- 
mal, 5:  conductors  of,  75:  febrile, 
196:  moisture,  73. 

Hellwald,  Fred,  von,  152. 

Hemorrhoids,  36.  187. 

Hoarseness,  101.  145:  chronic,  194. 

Hog,  domestic,  39. 

Homoeopathy,  158.  162. 

House-dog,  126.  127. 187. 

HUFFELAND,  63. 

Himian  body,  38.  48:  constituents  of, 
38. 


Humors,  69:  malodorous,  67. 
Hydrogen,  sulphvuetted,  65. 


Idiosjmcrasy,  158. 

Immunity,  32.  67.  96. 97:  meaning  of, 
20. 

Indigestion,  140.  146. 

Indigo,  165:  black,  155:  with  grease, 
175. 

Imbecility,  13. 

Infants,  180  :  school,  97  :  treatment 
of,  179. 

Infection,  31.  37.  44.  63.  64.  65.  68.  98. 
125.  191:  germs  of,  22.  31.  32.  36.  37. 
40.  42.  44.  45:  nature  of,  27:  poisons 
of,  27:  resist,  42.  66.  191:  seeds  of, 
37. 

Infectious  diseases,  40.  43.  47  :  mi- 
crobes, role  of,  47. 

Inflammatory  action,  68. 

Influenza,  88.  96. 

Influences,  morbific,  22.  38. 

Inhalation  of  dust,  87. 

Inoculation,  65. 

Intestines,  38.  44.  45.  147. 

Invalids,  35. 

Invention,  117.  118. 

Irritability,  nervous,  37. 

Ischias,  160. 


Jacket,  31. 

Juices,  31:  bodily,  32.  37.  42.  43.  45.46. 
52.  53.  54.  59.  65. 


Kidneys,  193. 
Kilogrammes,  12. 


Labor,  division  of,  153. 
Lacerations,  36. 
Lacing,  tight,  172. 
Lacteous  fermentation,  28. 


212 


Index. 


Languor,  153.  163. 

Lankester,  Prof.,  47.  48. 

Larynx,  124.  194. 

Lassitude,  11.  34. 

Leather.  93.  172.  175.  176. 

Legs.  11. 

Ligaments,  10. 

Life,  prolongation  of,  95 :    human, 

normal  duration  of,  94:   sedentary, 

18.  170.  171. 
Linen,  70.  93.  98.  182.  193  :  linings,  63. 

72.  105:  sheets.  63:  shirt,  55. 
Linings,   cotton,   liaen,  63.   72.   105  : 

woolen,  linen,  cotton,  71.  72. 
Liter,  quart,  31.  35:  volume,  70. 
Living  body,  38 :  plants,  evil  odors, 

195:  tissue,  9  12.  30.  38.  44. 
Logwood,  155. 157.  160. 161. 165:  effect 

on  feeling,  161. 
Loins,  girded,  165. 
Longevity,  95. 
Lungs,  12.  19.  .54.68.  132:  affections  of, 

192:  distortion  of,  168.  169.  170.  171: 

use  of,  169. 


M 


Maladies.  33.  60:  epidemic,  endemic, 
23. 

Man-ape,  18:3. 

Mandrills.  184. 

Material,  nutrient,  25. 

3Iatenals,  dyed,  164. 

Matter,  combustible,  146 :  refuse,  6: 
resinous,  197:  odorous,  155.  156. 

Mattresses,  142.  143:  horse-hair,  142. 

Mayenfisch,  Dr.,  112.  113.  114. 

Mea.sles,  a3.  98. 

Measurement,  12.  20.  .33.  78  :  nerve, 
167. 

Meat,  162.  ISJ.  188:  Liebig's  extract 
of,  l&l :  diet.  1S5.  186.  190 :  putre- 
faction of,  25.  26. 

Medicine,  inherent,  108:  ''Medicatrix 
naturae,"  lOS. 

Memory,  37:  defective,  87. 

Menagerie.  186. 


Mental  powers,  82:  aberration  of.  13. 

Microbes,  role  of.  47.  48. 

Miasma,  129.  130. 

Mice,  185. 

Microscopic  germs,  31 :    views,  202. 

203. 
Mildew,  26.  28. 
Milk,  59.  157.  188.  189. 
Mind  and  body,  9.  13.  14. 
Moles,  fungoid,  91. 
Morbid  matter,  58.  62. 
Morbific  matters,  63. 
Movements,  voluntaiy,  51.  153, 
IVIother  of  vinegar,  29. 
Mothers,  anxious,  100. 

MUELHAUSEN,  144. 

Muscle,  muscular  flesh,  9.  10.  13.  14. 
38:  excitability  of,  18 :  nonnal  ac- 
tivity of,  14. 

Muscles,  37.  -13.  140. 

Must  liquor,  ;iO. 

Mutton,  158. 

N 

Naegeu,  Prof.,  20.  22. 20.  27.  29.  30.  32. 
63.  64  :  on  cholera  germs,  26:  on 
heated  rooms,  24. 

Neck,  100:  clothing  of.  101. 

Neckerchief,  100. 

Nerve.  9.  10.  13:  excitability  of,  18: 
measure,  .52.  167  :  normal  activity 
of,  14:  transmission,  14.  15.  37. 

Nerves,  37.  68:  cranial,  14:  and  mus- 
cles paralyzed,  19. 

Nervous  action,  1.59.  160.  167:  com- 
plaints, 50:  irritability,  37:  rapidity 
of,  167 :  system  disabled,  43 :  sen- 
sory, 43. 

Nem-al  analysis,  15.  159.  160.  161. 

Night-dresses,  92. 

Non-conductor,  103. 

Nonnal  Duration  of  Human  Life, 
94. 

Noxious  principle,  40.  41.  48.  45.  46. 
49.  61.  81.  97:  element.  44.  46:  es- 
sence. 60 :  emanation,  49:  exhala- 
tions, 82:  volatile,  43. 


Index. 


213 


Nutriment,  intensive,  189 :  natux-al, 

187.  188. 
Nutrition,  36.  46. 

O 

Obesity,  11.  12.  13. 

Occupation,  189. 

Odors,  41.  55:  concentration  of,  178: 
destructive  of,  145 :  evil,  15:  free 
from,  18-^  :  inhaled,  153  :  noxious, 
12'2:  offensive,  42.  177. 

Odorous  elements,  68.  81 :  essence, 
60:  matters,  54.  56.  125.  155.  156: 
concentration  of,  148 :  principle, 
note,  103.  104. 

Ofacers,  149. 

Oil,  fusel,  112. 

Omnivora,  185. 

Onions,  158. 

Open  au%  bathing  in,  139. 

Open  window,  126.  129.  130. 

Organic  matters,  134. 

Organism,  live,  31  :  organisms,  45: 
Uving,  23.  45.  63. 

Outer  clothing,  80.  139.  177.  178:  bed- 
ding, cleansing  of,  176. 

Oxygen,  196:  of  the  air,  52. 

Ozogen,  145.  146.  148.  149.  151.  179. 


Paradox,  79. 

Partridges,  128. 

Paper,  smell  of,  151:  vegetable  fibre, 

152. 
Parasites,  46.  128.  195. 
Patents,  117. 
People,  constitutions  of ,  189:  old,  40: 

specific  gravity  of,  34. 
Perfumes,  52,  53. 
Peritoneimi,  166. 
Perspiration,  18.  43.  57.  71.  80.  84.  172. 

173.  174.  175.  176.  198.  199:  noxious. 

109. 
Perspiratory  system,  105. 
Pettexkofer,  22.  23. 
Petticoats,  pm-e  wool,  73. 
Pheasants,  128. 


Phosphate  of  lime,  39. 

Physicians,  44.  136.  184. 

Physiologist,  166. 

Physiology,  58. 

Pillows,  141. 

Pipe,  tobacco,  64:  reed  stem,  124. 

Plague,  42. 

Plant  gro^i;h,  27:  struggles  of,  28. 

Plants,  55:  living,  evil  odors  of,  195. 

Platinum  lamp,  144.  146:  spiral,  145. 

14G.  149.  150.  151. 
Pneumonia,  79. 
Poison,  42.  43.  44.  50.  51.  53.  .55.  160. 

162:  sense  of  smell,  52.  53.  .54.  .58: 

what  is  it  ?  50.  51. 
Population,  Baltic,  139:  increase  of, 

95. 
Poultice,  "Reglin,"  77. 
Power  of  re.sistance,  48. 
Primrose,  27. 

Principle,  noxious,  salutary,  61 :  odor- 
ous, 103. 
Privies,  45.  63. 
Properties,  infectious,  26 :  physical, 

9.  10.  12.  18. 
Protoplasm,  48. 
Pulmonary  affections,  12.  184. 
Pure  au%  144. 

Putrefaction,  25.  26.  28.  30. 
Putrescence,  29.  65:  ferment  of,  23. 

26:  germs  of,  25.  28. 


Quinsy,  33. 


Q 


R 


Rabbit,  111. 

Recruits.  1'3. 

'"Reglin"  poultice  76.  77. 

Remedial  power  of  S.  W.  S.,  192. 

Respiratory  organs,   11.   12.  65.   91 

passages,  87. 
Respiration,  165.  170. 
Regiments,  Wiirtemberg,  77. 
Rheumatism,  57.  178. 
Rooms,  badly  ventilated,  54. 
Rubbish,  111. 


•2U 


J/idex. 


s 


Salutary  principle,  41.  46.  (note  46.) 
61.  81:  essence,  83  :  elements,  40: 
and  noxious  matter,  l.^O. 

Sanatory  boot,  172:  woolen  clothing, 
57.  61-(>3.  76.  M.  86.  87.  90.  100. 

Sanitary  "Woolen  System,  no  protec- 
tion, 191  :  note,  192:  positive  and 
negative  effects  of,  190:  remedial 
power  svuumed  up,  192.  193. 

Savoyards,  wear  wool,  1(30. 

Scalp,  perspiration  of,  93. 

Scarlet  fever,  32:  scarlatina,  'H. 

School-rooms,  148.  149  :  atmosphere 
of,  81. 

Schussenried,  114. 

Science,  sanitary,  126. 

Sea- water  putrescent,  30. 

Secretions,  192:  copious,  63:  critical, 
58. 

Seeds  of  disease  in  furniture,  135. 

Sense  of  taste,  166. 

Fericine,  103. 

Sewage,  130. 

Sheep,  127.  128.  129. 

Shirt,  double  thickness,  92:  linen  or 
cotton,  75.  100.  104:  ordinary.  91: 
relation  to  dyes,  159 :  shirts,  cot- 
ton. 74.  75.  99.  138 :  linen,  99:  sana- 
tory woolen,  74.  75.  76.  78.  99.  101. 
106:  woolen,  71:  when  to  be  washed, 
177:  how  to  be  wa.shed,  198. 

Shoe  sanatory  woolen,  140:  construc- 
tion of.  140. 

Shrinkage  of  woolen  fabrics,  197. 198. 

Sickness,  36.  37. 

Silk,  102:  consists  of,  103. 

Sinews  10. 

Skin,  18.  19:  action  of,  10.  13.  19:  ac- 
tivity of,  40:  function  of,  6:  blood 
supply  of,  68 :  capillaries  of,  196: 
cleansing  of.  70:  effects  of  exercise 
on,  32:  eruptions  of,  158:  enerva- 
tion of,  166:  excretions  of,  75:  ex- 
halations of,  4.  7.  19:  exudations  of. 
3.  7:     in-itation  of.  61.  63:  odorous 


matters  of,  54:  regulator  of  animal 
heat,  112 :  scales  of,  75 :  sense  of 
feeling  in,  101.  167:  warmth  of,  159. 
161:  of  felt,  offensive,  140. 

Sleep,  47. 

Sleeping-rooms,  24.  54.  70. 

Sleeplessness,  178. 

Small-pox,  32.  42.  48.  64.  65.  98.  99. 
132:  clothes  free  from,  182:  of  cam- 
phor, 179. 

Smell,  smells,  42.  52.  64.  99.  i:«. 

Smokers,  140. 

Soap,  ammonia,  198. 

Sock,  139.  141:  divided  toe,  141.  173: 
glove-toed,  140. 

Soil,  calcareous,  27 :  soils,  clay,  ex 
emption  from  infection,  21. 25:  con- 
stitution of,  24 :  epidemic,  24:  ma- 
larious, 23:  Munich,  25. 

Soldiers,  103. 

Soles,  woolen,  173.  174.  176. 

Solution,  29.  30:  nutrient,  27.  30.  31  : 
saccharine,  28:  solutions,  52:  offen- 
sive, 53. 

Spasms,  196. 

Specific  gi-avity,  personal,  39. 

Specific  weight,  96. 

Spirit  lamp,  vapor  of,  140. 

Spirits,  evil,  136:  of  wine,  149, 

Sport,  athletic,  164. 

Stays,  linen,  73. 

Steinbeis,  Dr.  von.  111?. 

Stocking,  139.  1 10  :  stockings,  173  : 
pure  wool,  73:  silk,  cotton,  73. 

Stomach.  37.  &8.  :i.  77.  78.  160:  ach»v 
159  :  disorders  of,  92  :  measui-- 
round.  78:  vitality  of,  OS. 

Stop-watch,  15 :  practical  value  of, 
182. 

Straw,  142. 

Strawberries,  158.  162. 

"  Strangles,''  122. 

Stuttgart  high  school,  17:  gyntnastic. 
79. 

Suit,  German  gymna.stic.  79. 

Sugar,  25.  30. 

Sununer  and  winter  clothing,  83. 


Index. 


215 


Sunstroke,  83.  94.  112.  113. 
Surgeons,  veterinary,  131. 
Sweat-glands,  6. 

T 

Tailor's  clippings,  143. 

Tartaric  acid,  28. 

Taste,  physiology  of,  ICG. 

Teachers,  83. 

Temperament,  40.  58. 

Temperature,  54.  65.  94.  112.  113.  163. 

191.  196.  199:  changes  of,   103.   104. 

112.  113. 
The  adulteration  of  wool  with  cot- 
ton, 125. 
The  air  in  rooms,  126. 
The  atmosphere  of  school-rooms,  81 . 
The  causes  of  disease  and  disease 

germs,  20. 
The  cleansing  of  the  outer  clothing, 

176. 
The  collar,  lOD. 
The  corset,  172. 

The  curative  power  of  wool,  106. 
The  deodorization  of  the  body,  62. 
The  German  gj-mnastic  suit,  79. 
The  natm'e  of  disease,  49. 
The  opeu  bed-room  window,  118. 
The  platuium  lamp,  144.  147.  14S.  149. 
The  positive  and  negative  effects  of 

the  S  W.  S.,  190. 
The  sanatory  coat,  76:  woolen  bed, 

141 :    handkerchief   and  catarrhal 

infections,  122. 
The  sanitary  effects  of  colors  and 

dyes,  I,  1.52:  II,  157:  HI,  182. 
The  shirt,  the  trousers  and  the  hat, 

91. 
The  sock  or  stocking,  139. 
The  specific  gravity  of  the  body.  33. 
The  source  of  the  emotions,  41. 
The  treatment  of  infants,  179. 
The  woolen  glove  and  stings,  115. 
Thread,  spider's,  103. 
Throat,  43.   66.   91.  97.  93.  100.    108: 

catarrh  of,  125 :  disorders  of,  102  : 

inflammation  of,  1^.  194. 


Tissues,  20.  21.  31.  32.  38.  47.  49.  58. 59; 

flabby,  36:  tissue-water,  33.  65.  69: 

water  from.  41. 
Tight-lacing,  172. 
Tobacco-smoke,  124. 
Toe,  toes,   140.  141:  perspiration  of, 

173, 
Tonsils,   194 :   inflammation  of,   193. 

194. 
Toothache,  179. 
Trousers,    71.    92.    166.    167:    black, 

brown,  161:  loose,  116. 
Tubercles,  134. 
Turkish  baths,  78. 
Typhus,    (nervous  fever,)  22.  26.  31. 

32.  45.  84.  191. 


U 


Underclothing,  98. 156. 180. 181:  dyed, 
159. 

Undervests,  74:  flannel,  74.  75 :  net- 
work, 76. 

Urea,  39. 

V 

Vapor,  watery,  20.  70.  74.  77.  104.  173: 
concentrated,  155 :  cutaneous,  76: 
rarined,  155:  vapors,  57 :  noxioxis, 
127:  poisonous,  191. 

Variations,  temperature,  and  sun- 
stroke, 112. 

Varicose  veins,  36. 

Vascular  system,  functional  activity 
of,  19. 

Vegetable  fibre,  50.  54.  55.  56.  61.  70. 
84.  89.  91.  99.  100.  103.  105.  112.  120. 
121.  124.  132.  134.  1:35.  142.  143.  145 : 
dead,  195:  effect  of  on  the  skin,  27: 
cold,  196:  when  and  why  unsana- 
tory,  195:  living,  196. 

Vegetarians,  185.  188.  189. 

Vegetarianism,  183.  185.  186.  188.  189. 
190. 

Veins,  varicose,  11.  36. 

Ventilation,  83.  121.  123.  131.  141.  148. 
149.  173:  rooms,  40. 

Vermin,  46.  . 


■Jlii 


l7ide.i'. 


Vienna  Zoological  Gardens,  85. 
Vital  forces,  14.  ?y2. 
Vocation.  125. 
Voice,  101.  102.  194. 
Volatile  essence,  43.  ."39.  60:  matters, 
54. 

W 

Waistcoat,  10.5. 

Washing  directions,  198.  199. 

Water,  11.  12.  17.  25.  32.  38.  39.  55.  59: 
absorbs  poisonous  exhalations,  54. 
55:  accumulation  of,  14.  20:  closets, 
45.  63:  cold.  138:  drinking,  44:  ex- 
cess of,  17.  37:  exudation  of ,  43:  and 
fat,  9.  18:  immei"sion  in,  35.  36:  in 
blood,  37  :  in  system,  18  :  in  tis- 
sues, 37 :  specific  weight  of,  20 ; 
superfluous,  70:  xmderground  pas- 
sages, 23:  watery  vapor,  86. 

Water  and  fat  neces.sary,  37.  38. 

Webs,  stockinet,  92. 

Weeds,  28. 

Whooping  cough,  67. 

Wind,  draught  of,  133. 

Wine  112:  new,  28.  29. 

Wolf,  species,  187. 

Wood,  39. 

Wool,  71:  absorptive  power  of.  3.  7: 
adulteration  of.  125:  animal,  50.  71. 
73:  a  non-conductor,  3.  4  :  an  elec- 
tric, 5:  a  skin-stimulant,  4:  carbon- 


ized, 142,  14^3:  curative  power  of, 
106:  double  layer,  141:  "enervated 
by,"  1"^:  influence  on  animal  tem- 
perature, 4:  merits  of,  142.  IT- 
new  process  of  weaving,  3  ;  prop- 
erties of,  3:  pure,  143 :  remedin' 
virtue  of,  116:  sanitary  advantages 
of,  4:  wearer,  131.  139. 

Woolen  clothing,  fire-proof,  120.  121. 
122.  204:  time  saved  in  wsishiiig. 
182  :  warmth  of,  182 :  wet,  harm- 
less, 139. 

Woolen  fibre,  structure  of,  197.  198. 

Woolen  System,  principle  of,  1. 

Wools,  short  staple,  112. 

Work,  9.  11.  36.  39.  40:  mental,  10.  13. 
37.  38 :  physical,  38 :  rooms,  129. 
149. 

Working  capacity,  16.  17.  19.  33.  39: 
power,  9. 11.  12.  13.  16.  17. 

World,  animal,  86. 

Wrappers,  102. 

Writere'  cramp,  151.  152, 

Writing  paper.  152. 

Wiirtemburg  Regiments,  77. 


"Yeast,"  25.  29:  fungi,  26. 


Zoological  gardens,  183.  184.  186. 


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RA  776  J28  1891  C.1 

Selections  from  essays  on  health-culture 


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